Once upon a time, there was young cheesemaker. He had grown up in Alkmaar, a town in Holland widely renowned for the scrumptious cheese it produced. Throughout his childhood, various aged cheesemakers had instructed him in the ways of this fine art. Therefore, he was a very skilled cheesemaker, and his cheese always tasted nice. Since he was so passionate about his talent, he soon began to teach cheesemaking seminars. He was an eloquent speaker. Soon, he was one of the most outspoken teachers in all of Alkmaar. One day, however, two wise cheese-makers heard him speaking and realized that he was telling his attentive audience to salt the curds before separating them from the whey- a practice that would ultimately ruin the finished product.
Read Acts 18:18-28
You might find Apollos very similar to this young cheesemaker. Apollos had been “instructed in the way of the Lord”, and “taught accurately the things concerning Jesus”. However, he “knew only the baptism of John”. Apollos was knowledgeable, and was led by the Holy Spirit, but he was somehow missing a big chunk of something. The thing about only knowing of the baptism of John suggests that he didn’t know that Jesus had commanded the baptism of all believers after his resurrection. He possibly also didn’t know about Jesus’ death and resurrection, which is clearly an important part of the Christian faith.
Priscilla and Aquila were a Jewish couple who had come to Ephesus with Paul. Here, they heard Apollo speaking, and noticed that there were flaws in his teaching. Verse 26 says that “[Apollo] began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” “They took him” implies that Priscilla and Aquila didn’t just march up to the pulpit and announce that he was wrong. They took him aside, and in private “explained” to him more accurately God’s word. They didn’t yell at Apollos, or condemn him for being wrong. If you had been there, Priscilla and Aquila might have reminded you of your favorite teacher at school.
Later, when Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, where Priscilla and Aquila were well known, he was encouraged and supported by them. They wrote letters to ask the disciples there to welcome him. At Achaia, Apollos “greatly helped those who through grace had believed…showing by Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.” The loving support the couple has given him has not been in vain. However, we also have to learn from Apollos to be receptive, and to welcome teaching. Later, Apollos even returns to Ephesus, because when Paul writes 1 Corinthians from there, Apollos is with him.
During Refocus, speaker Jalon Chan emphasized that we, as a group of believers, are the Church. We are supposed to push each other to grow in Christ, to push each other to love Him more. We are supposed to keep each other accountable, and to welcome rebuke, teaching, or support when we receive it. Just look at Apollos- God does amazing things when we do this.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for world leaders- that God will use them for his purposes and that they will start or continue to seek God.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Protection
I came upon this article recently, and it describes how God protects those who do His work.
Kampala — SECURITY minister Amama Mbabazi has said he cannot be shaken by anybody because God protects him.
"Nothing is greater than God who is protecting my life," Mbabazi said on Sunday while presiding over the 14th anniversary celebrations of Kinkizi Diocese at Nyakatare in Kanungu district.
Mbabazi's remarks follow an incident on Thursday in which an intruder was shot dead while climbing the perimeter wall of his Kololo residence.
The Police have not yet established the identity and motive of the man.
In an interview with Sunday Vision, Mbabazi described the incident as an attack on his life.
"My father was among the leaders who brought Christianity to this region and the relation he had with God cannot allow my enemy to hurt me," Mbabazi told the congregation.
He added that his father, a lay leader, was one of the founders of the Bible School at Rugarama in Kabale district that was transformed into Bishop Barham University.
The minister urged the congregation to become God's stewards, saying it lightens life's challenges.
He explained that his mother, who is about 105-years-old, accepted Christ as her personal saviour 71 years ago and was still strong.
"She can walk and read the bible as a university graduate," Mbabazi said adding that she prayed and interceded for the family daily.
Some of the projects that have been carried out in the diocese include the construction of water sources, schools, a hospital at Bwindi and the adoption of affirmative action for the marginalised Batwa.
Mbabazi asked diocese leaders to invite him for more celebrations.
"In 2023, we shall return to celebrate more developments of this church. I will be alive and strong. I pledge to come again if you invite me," he pledged.
Mbabazi commended the church for its contribution towards development of the country.
He was accompanied by the education minister, Geradine Namirembe Bitamazire.
After the service, Mbabazi's wife, Jacqueline, told journalists that they would not be threatened by the wind.
"Our God is good and will protect us," she said.
Please read Acts 18:1 – 17
This passage shows us the importance of trusting in God to protect His people. While I was browsing through websites while looking for an article, I came upon many forums that asked why God let bad things happen to His people if He loves them so much. It broke my heart to see so many people turned away from God because of their own logic. But in response to this question, I believe that while God does protect many of His people, such as Amama Mbabazi’s family, God is still perfect justice. He does not pick and choose for people to die, but He gives us all consequences for our actions, and that is what harms His people. I want you to pray, telling God that you trust in Him to protect you, and pray for those who cannot believe because they view Him as unfair.
Kampala — SECURITY minister Amama Mbabazi has said he cannot be shaken by anybody because God protects him.
"Nothing is greater than God who is protecting my life," Mbabazi said on Sunday while presiding over the 14th anniversary celebrations of Kinkizi Diocese at Nyakatare in Kanungu district.
Mbabazi's remarks follow an incident on Thursday in which an intruder was shot dead while climbing the perimeter wall of his Kololo residence.
The Police have not yet established the identity and motive of the man.
In an interview with Sunday Vision, Mbabazi described the incident as an attack on his life.
"My father was among the leaders who brought Christianity to this region and the relation he had with God cannot allow my enemy to hurt me," Mbabazi told the congregation.
He added that his father, a lay leader, was one of the founders of the Bible School at Rugarama in Kabale district that was transformed into Bishop Barham University.
The minister urged the congregation to become God's stewards, saying it lightens life's challenges.
He explained that his mother, who is about 105-years-old, accepted Christ as her personal saviour 71 years ago and was still strong.
"She can walk and read the bible as a university graduate," Mbabazi said adding that she prayed and interceded for the family daily.
Some of the projects that have been carried out in the diocese include the construction of water sources, schools, a hospital at Bwindi and the adoption of affirmative action for the marginalised Batwa.
Mbabazi asked diocese leaders to invite him for more celebrations.
"In 2023, we shall return to celebrate more developments of this church. I will be alive and strong. I pledge to come again if you invite me," he pledged.
Mbabazi commended the church for its contribution towards development of the country.
He was accompanied by the education minister, Geradine Namirembe Bitamazire.
After the service, Mbabazi's wife, Jacqueline, told journalists that they would not be threatened by the wind.
"Our God is good and will protect us," she said.
Please read Acts 18:1 – 17
This passage shows us the importance of trusting in God to protect His people. While I was browsing through websites while looking for an article, I came upon many forums that asked why God let bad things happen to His people if He loves them so much. It broke my heart to see so many people turned away from God because of their own logic. But in response to this question, I believe that while God does protect many of His people, such as Amama Mbabazi’s family, God is still perfect justice. He does not pick and choose for people to die, but He gives us all consequences for our actions, and that is what harms His people. I want you to pray, telling God that you trust in Him to protect you, and pray for those who cannot believe because they view Him as unfair.
The Scandal of the Unknown God
Read: Acts 17:16-34
The Biblical narrative now takes us to the Harvard Law School of ancient times: the Areopagus of Athens. Actually, the Areopagus was not an actual school, but a hill where a bunch of philosophers would debate and investigate corruption within the political system... much like a law school would today. Only the biggest and the brightest gather at the Areopagus. When rumors circulated about this weird Middle-eastern guy preaching about some Jesus dude in the marketplace, the philosophers wanted to hear about this philosophy, partly because it could been interesting and partly also to make sure it’s not something along the lines of overthrowing the government. So they invite Paul to present his case to the greatest minds of the day.
As Paul argues, note that he’s not trying to present a sustained incontrovertible proof of the existence of God. The Athenians, he noted, were very religious people, and also very comprehensive. So concerned were they, apparently, that they might’ve forgotten to worship a god that they’ve set up a shrine to “an unknown god”! Unlike many secularists today, the Athenians were already convinced that there is a deity out there. Paul’s concern is that of the deities they worship, none of them were God... maybe except “the unknown god”.
So Paul proceeds to make this unknown God known. Paul contrasts the Greek gods with the one true God. The Greek gods that we read in AP Literature did not create the world. No, they were born by Uranus and Mother Earth. The gods, let by Zeus/Jupiter, were powerful, yes, but they have their weaknesses. Some of the male gods, for possibly obvious reasons, were easily motivated by lust for other female gods or humans, arousing the jealously of the female gods, some of whom were their wives. Others were motivated by lust for power, making Mount Olympus into some ancient Ultimate Fighting Championship ring. Oh, and let’s not forget that if the Greeks did not give the gods offerings, 1,000 years of bad joo-joo shall befall upon them (to quote one of my favorite Pixar characters) because the gods would go hungry or somehow diminished without the offerings.
Paul then talks about the one true God created the world by Himself, no help needed. Not only that, but He has no need for anything we can ever give to Him! Instead, He freely gives! Economists talk about the fact that there is no such thing as “free lunch”. But this is what Paul is talking about! God, in all His abundance, is giving us not just free lunch, but free lunch from Red Robin’s, free dinner from L2O (amazing food...), and free buffet from the Ritz-Carlton Singapore (it’s really good...)! Not only that, He freely gives us life and breath. All this to show that our gracious loving God is the Lord of the universe! What’s more, all God wants is for us to draw near to Him! This is so unlike the Greek gods who live distantly on some faraway mountain above the clouds, engineering the world to fit their own desires and pleasures! Plus, who wants to worship the gods when their statues were all made in China? (j/k... well, not really).
As we see later in verse 32-34, the reactions were mixed. The response today would’ve not been any better. In those days, at least the people on the Areopagus listened. Today, so many people don’t have time to listen! Instead of worshipping idols made of gold and silver, people are now worshipping idols with dollar signs attached to them (money). The gods Zeus, Apollos, Athena, and others are now replaced by the gods Prada, Louis Vuitton, Porsche, Bentley, that sweet job at JPMorgan Chase, that high degree from Famous University. Where the gods of the past gave you bad joo-joo for not worshipping them, the gods today make you the object of others’ envy... if you can afford them in the first place!
But Paul’s message remains true today - how can we worship worldly things when everything we have is the Lord’s? Missiologists (people who study missions) and evangelists have said it time and time again that the hardest missions fields are not the restricted countries (e.g. China, Vietnam) but the wealthiest countries (e.g. Taiwan, Japan, etc.) One of my friends, a missionary in Japan, told me once that a church of 5 families is considered a big church there! That’s about 20-25 people at most! The average church in Taiwan is about 100 people or so.
The scandal of the unknown God is that to properly worship Him all the things of this world must take second place... at best. How can Christians properly worship God when a lady comes into church proudly displaying her Louis Vuitton purse? How can Christians focus on our loving God when a loud Porsche roars into the parking lot? Brothers and sisters, let us take our eyes away from the things of this world and (Col 3:1-2) “set our eyes on things above.” For our true satisfaction and joy comes from God alone.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray that your friends will lift up their struggles to God. That they know that He loves them.
The Biblical narrative now takes us to the Harvard Law School of ancient times: the Areopagus of Athens. Actually, the Areopagus was not an actual school, but a hill where a bunch of philosophers would debate and investigate corruption within the political system... much like a law school would today. Only the biggest and the brightest gather at the Areopagus. When rumors circulated about this weird Middle-eastern guy preaching about some Jesus dude in the marketplace, the philosophers wanted to hear about this philosophy, partly because it could been interesting and partly also to make sure it’s not something along the lines of overthrowing the government. So they invite Paul to present his case to the greatest minds of the day.
As Paul argues, note that he’s not trying to present a sustained incontrovertible proof of the existence of God. The Athenians, he noted, were very religious people, and also very comprehensive. So concerned were they, apparently, that they might’ve forgotten to worship a god that they’ve set up a shrine to “an unknown god”! Unlike many secularists today, the Athenians were already convinced that there is a deity out there. Paul’s concern is that of the deities they worship, none of them were God... maybe except “the unknown god”.
So Paul proceeds to make this unknown God known. Paul contrasts the Greek gods with the one true God. The Greek gods that we read in AP Literature did not create the world. No, they were born by Uranus and Mother Earth. The gods, let by Zeus/Jupiter, were powerful, yes, but they have their weaknesses. Some of the male gods, for possibly obvious reasons, were easily motivated by lust for other female gods or humans, arousing the jealously of the female gods, some of whom were their wives. Others were motivated by lust for power, making Mount Olympus into some ancient Ultimate Fighting Championship ring. Oh, and let’s not forget that if the Greeks did not give the gods offerings, 1,000 years of bad joo-joo shall befall upon them (to quote one of my favorite Pixar characters) because the gods would go hungry or somehow diminished without the offerings.
Paul then talks about the one true God created the world by Himself, no help needed. Not only that, but He has no need for anything we can ever give to Him! Instead, He freely gives! Economists talk about the fact that there is no such thing as “free lunch”. But this is what Paul is talking about! God, in all His abundance, is giving us not just free lunch, but free lunch from Red Robin’s, free dinner from L2O (amazing food...), and free buffet from the Ritz-Carlton Singapore (it’s really good...)! Not only that, He freely gives us life and breath. All this to show that our gracious loving God is the Lord of the universe! What’s more, all God wants is for us to draw near to Him! This is so unlike the Greek gods who live distantly on some faraway mountain above the clouds, engineering the world to fit their own desires and pleasures! Plus, who wants to worship the gods when their statues were all made in China? (j/k... well, not really).
As we see later in verse 32-34, the reactions were mixed. The response today would’ve not been any better. In those days, at least the people on the Areopagus listened. Today, so many people don’t have time to listen! Instead of worshipping idols made of gold and silver, people are now worshipping idols with dollar signs attached to them (money). The gods Zeus, Apollos, Athena, and others are now replaced by the gods Prada, Louis Vuitton, Porsche, Bentley, that sweet job at JPMorgan Chase, that high degree from Famous University. Where the gods of the past gave you bad joo-joo for not worshipping them, the gods today make you the object of others’ envy... if you can afford them in the first place!
But Paul’s message remains true today - how can we worship worldly things when everything we have is the Lord’s? Missiologists (people who study missions) and evangelists have said it time and time again that the hardest missions fields are not the restricted countries (e.g. China, Vietnam) but the wealthiest countries (e.g. Taiwan, Japan, etc.) One of my friends, a missionary in Japan, told me once that a church of 5 families is considered a big church there! That’s about 20-25 people at most! The average church in Taiwan is about 100 people or so.
The scandal of the unknown God is that to properly worship Him all the things of this world must take second place... at best. How can Christians properly worship God when a lady comes into church proudly displaying her Louis Vuitton purse? How can Christians focus on our loving God when a loud Porsche roars into the parking lot? Brothers and sisters, let us take our eyes away from the things of this world and (Col 3:1-2) “set our eyes on things above.” For our true satisfaction and joy comes from God alone.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray that your friends will lift up their struggles to God. That they know that He loves them.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Are you eagerly examining the WORD of God?
As God is challenging us to be mature Christians, one that have deep roots in Him, we look first to see how we are doing with our time of examining and reflecting on the WORD. So answer, what are some adjectives that you would use to describe your view of how you are looking for God through Scripture? (eager, passive, through, unenthusiastic, sporadic)
Pray and Read Acts 17:10-15 (read a couple of times making sure you concentrate on key words)
I believe that if we took a survey of everyone in youth group about the adjectives you just put in the line above, the majority of you would have negative words rather than positive ones. This exercise wasn’t suppose to make some of us feel really great about ourselves while the rest of us be filled with guilt. The intention is to challenge all of us not to see looking at the WORD as a chore or duty, but that we would see the ways God is challenging us to want it eagerly and examine it daily for our very lives. It needs to be the source of our daily living, many of us would never think about going through a day without food or sleep, yet we could go through a day without looking at our Bibles or talking with God. Being connected with God (the vine as it says in John 15) should be the thing of utmost importance because we could do nothing apart from the vine.
On Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey, he was going further west than he had on his previous journey. He was being obedient to the places that God was calling him to go even though it seemed like they were getting rejected from place to place (when people are forming mobs and riots against you, you know that they just might not like you too much). People were listening to them but it was agitating some in the cities. Yet this didn’t make Paul and his companions give up. As they usually did, the team started off by going to the Jewish synagogue to try to explain to the religious leaders about Jesus and His true message. At Berea, they made a pleasant discovery that “the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians” (vs 11a). The author of Acts, Luke, gives two reasons for these praises: “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures everyday to see if what Paul said was true” (vs 11b). The Bereans expressed an attitude of humble receptivity that lies at the heart of faith. We see that many of the converts in Berea were many Jews and also prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
“Does Luke’s attribution of nobility to the Bereans mean that they were more deserving of salvation than other people? Did they have an inherent qualification that caused them to merit salvation? That would go against the biblical teaching that no one merits salvation”. I hope you would be able to know the answer to those are no, because on the contrary they were called “noble” because of their willingness to surrender and show the need that they had for Jesus. They showed that they had to submit and come to Jesus for all their answers and help with understanding. When you rely on the WORD of God, it causes an eagerness to hear from God and to receive from God what He wants to say. They came down from their pedestals as people of high standing (v. 12, “prominent Greek women and men”) or as people of high Jewish heritage (“many of the Jews”) and, like hungry children in need of food, they sought God’s Word.
So that is where we start. We first must say, God I need you. No matter how much you think you know the Word or no matter how little you think you know God’s Word, you say, God I need you. It isn’t enough to sing it in a praise song, we have to live it out and show it as we walk with God in our daily lives. We can’t have God as an afterthought. We make all these decisions about our lives or go about doing the things we have to in our daily activities, and then we look back and say, “God, I hope what I did is what you wanted me to do or after we make a mess of something, God can really help me out here.” Eagerly going to God and examining His Word should be at the forefront of all that we do. It produces in us minds that are fixed on things above rather than on ourselves. As we continue in our walks together, I would hope this start a pattern for the rest of your life that you are going to say, God I need you and that I will eagerly examine your Word for everything in my life.
Questions for Reflection/Application
1.When you think about God’s Word, do you see reading it more as a chore or a life giving activity?
2.When you are making decisions in your life, do you often go to pray and God’s Word for answers, or is it more of an afterthought? Why do you think this is so?
3.How does the description of the Berean people become a challenge and encouragement for us?
4.What are some reasons you believe that you don’t approach the WORD of God with eagerness or also examining it daily? You may want to share some of those things with your leaders or peers because they may have some valuable advice for you.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for any disunity that you may feel keeps your family’s focus away from God.
Pray and Read Acts 17:10-15 (read a couple of times making sure you concentrate on key words)
I believe that if we took a survey of everyone in youth group about the adjectives you just put in the line above, the majority of you would have negative words rather than positive ones. This exercise wasn’t suppose to make some of us feel really great about ourselves while the rest of us be filled with guilt. The intention is to challenge all of us not to see looking at the WORD as a chore or duty, but that we would see the ways God is challenging us to want it eagerly and examine it daily for our very lives. It needs to be the source of our daily living, many of us would never think about going through a day without food or sleep, yet we could go through a day without looking at our Bibles or talking with God. Being connected with God (the vine as it says in John 15) should be the thing of utmost importance because we could do nothing apart from the vine.
On Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey, he was going further west than he had on his previous journey. He was being obedient to the places that God was calling him to go even though it seemed like they were getting rejected from place to place (when people are forming mobs and riots against you, you know that they just might not like you too much). People were listening to them but it was agitating some in the cities. Yet this didn’t make Paul and his companions give up. As they usually did, the team started off by going to the Jewish synagogue to try to explain to the religious leaders about Jesus and His true message. At Berea, they made a pleasant discovery that “the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians” (vs 11a). The author of Acts, Luke, gives two reasons for these praises: “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures everyday to see if what Paul said was true” (vs 11b). The Bereans expressed an attitude of humble receptivity that lies at the heart of faith. We see that many of the converts in Berea were many Jews and also prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
“Does Luke’s attribution of nobility to the Bereans mean that they were more deserving of salvation than other people? Did they have an inherent qualification that caused them to merit salvation? That would go against the biblical teaching that no one merits salvation”. I hope you would be able to know the answer to those are no, because on the contrary they were called “noble” because of their willingness to surrender and show the need that they had for Jesus. They showed that they had to submit and come to Jesus for all their answers and help with understanding. When you rely on the WORD of God, it causes an eagerness to hear from God and to receive from God what He wants to say. They came down from their pedestals as people of high standing (v. 12, “prominent Greek women and men”) or as people of high Jewish heritage (“many of the Jews”) and, like hungry children in need of food, they sought God’s Word.
So that is where we start. We first must say, God I need you. No matter how much you think you know the Word or no matter how little you think you know God’s Word, you say, God I need you. It isn’t enough to sing it in a praise song, we have to live it out and show it as we walk with God in our daily lives. We can’t have God as an afterthought. We make all these decisions about our lives or go about doing the things we have to in our daily activities, and then we look back and say, “God, I hope what I did is what you wanted me to do or after we make a mess of something, God can really help me out here.” Eagerly going to God and examining His Word should be at the forefront of all that we do. It produces in us minds that are fixed on things above rather than on ourselves. As we continue in our walks together, I would hope this start a pattern for the rest of your life that you are going to say, God I need you and that I will eagerly examine your Word for everything in my life.
Questions for Reflection/Application
1.When you think about God’s Word, do you see reading it more as a chore or a life giving activity?
2.When you are making decisions in your life, do you often go to pray and God’s Word for answers, or is it more of an afterthought? Why do you think this is so?
3.How does the description of the Berean people become a challenge and encouragement for us?
4.What are some reasons you believe that you don’t approach the WORD of God with eagerness or also examining it daily? You may want to share some of those things with your leaders or peers because they may have some valuable advice for you.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray for any disunity that you may feel keeps your family’s focus away from God.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thessalonica!
Acts 17:1-9
One of my favorite TV shows ever is 24. Its about a man named Jack Bauer who as a member of the Counter Terrorism Unit battles terrorists to keep the United States safe. The premise of the show is that each episode is one consecutive hour in a 24 hour day, and the events happen in real time. The draw of a show like this, and most other tv shows is that each new episode, you see something new. A new situation, a new story, a new character. As the historian Luke documents Paul’s current missionary journey, he gives an account of each part of the journey, each individual city that Paul visits. A new city, a new situation, a new story, a new glimpse at Paul’s ministry, but always, the same message. Jesus Christ.
Read Acts 17:1-9
After reading this passage, I was challenged with three things that I hope would challenge you as well. First, it is important to observe Paul’s method of ministry. Luke uses words in Acts 17:2-3 like “reasoned”, “explaining”, “proving”, and “proclaim”. Paul does not take his mission lightly. It is a well thought out and thorough explanation of the Gospel. For different people, it was necessary for him to preach differently. For some he had to reason with them. Other’s didn’t quite grasp it and so he explained the Gospel to them. Some required more evidence, and he proved it to them. Paul’s ministry involved a verbal proclamation. But notice also in verse 4, those who were there both Jews and Greeks were “persuaded and joined.” Paul not only proclaimed the Gospel to them, they joined him in living it out. Like we were reminded at Refocus, preaching the good news goes hand in hand with being the good news. Are we doing that?
Second, read again in Acts 17:6, the mob that forms accuses Paul and the believers of having “turned the world upside down.” I’m sure it was meant to be an insult to Paul, to demean what they’d been doing. But in a sense, that was exactly what the good news was doing and is doing. The Gospel turns the world upside down. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul calls “Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Greeks” but to us “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus turns the world upside down when it comes to what is important and what has value. It turns our lives upside down in that we are completely different because of Jesus. Has your life been completely changed because of Jesus?
Finally, something I realized as I was reading through all the different towns Paul ministered to. If Acts was a tv series, each “episode” there was so much that God was doing. As we continue through Acts, I hope you realize that the episodes don’t come to a finale. God’s story continues way beyond the book of Acts. Are we spending time seeing what God is doing? Take an opportunity to wander through the Christian and Missionary Alliance’s website. You can find out about all the different churches and missionaries that are a part of this denomination, just a small, small part in God’s work, a small part in His redemptive story. You can find it at www.cmalliance.org
PRAYER CALENDAR
SUNDAY - Pray for the Global community
Pray for God to open our eyes to injustice that is happening in our world so we can care for His people.
MONDAY - Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God how you can be a light to the community around you.
One of my favorite TV shows ever is 24. Its about a man named Jack Bauer who as a member of the Counter Terrorism Unit battles terrorists to keep the United States safe. The premise of the show is that each episode is one consecutive hour in a 24 hour day, and the events happen in real time. The draw of a show like this, and most other tv shows is that each new episode, you see something new. A new situation, a new story, a new character. As the historian Luke documents Paul’s current missionary journey, he gives an account of each part of the journey, each individual city that Paul visits. A new city, a new situation, a new story, a new glimpse at Paul’s ministry, but always, the same message. Jesus Christ.
Read Acts 17:1-9
After reading this passage, I was challenged with three things that I hope would challenge you as well. First, it is important to observe Paul’s method of ministry. Luke uses words in Acts 17:2-3 like “reasoned”, “explaining”, “proving”, and “proclaim”. Paul does not take his mission lightly. It is a well thought out and thorough explanation of the Gospel. For different people, it was necessary for him to preach differently. For some he had to reason with them. Other’s didn’t quite grasp it and so he explained the Gospel to them. Some required more evidence, and he proved it to them. Paul’s ministry involved a verbal proclamation. But notice also in verse 4, those who were there both Jews and Greeks were “persuaded and joined.” Paul not only proclaimed the Gospel to them, they joined him in living it out. Like we were reminded at Refocus, preaching the good news goes hand in hand with being the good news. Are we doing that?
Second, read again in Acts 17:6, the mob that forms accuses Paul and the believers of having “turned the world upside down.” I’m sure it was meant to be an insult to Paul, to demean what they’d been doing. But in a sense, that was exactly what the good news was doing and is doing. The Gospel turns the world upside down. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul calls “Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Greeks” but to us “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Jesus turns the world upside down when it comes to what is important and what has value. It turns our lives upside down in that we are completely different because of Jesus. Has your life been completely changed because of Jesus?
Finally, something I realized as I was reading through all the different towns Paul ministered to. If Acts was a tv series, each “episode” there was so much that God was doing. As we continue through Acts, I hope you realize that the episodes don’t come to a finale. God’s story continues way beyond the book of Acts. Are we spending time seeing what God is doing? Take an opportunity to wander through the Christian and Missionary Alliance’s website. You can find out about all the different churches and missionaries that are a part of this denomination, just a small, small part in God’s work, a small part in His redemptive story. You can find it at www.cmalliance.org
PRAYER CALENDAR
SUNDAY - Pray for the Global community
Pray for God to open our eyes to injustice that is happening in our world so we can care for His people.
MONDAY - Pray for your relationship with God
Ask God how you can be a light to the community around you.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Boys who did not “Cry Wolf”
The boy who cried wolf, a classic story, which I will tell right now.
Once upon a time, there was a young shepherd boy who was bored as he was watching the sheep of the entire village. He thought it'd be funny and sang out, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is trying to kill all my sheep!” So all the villagers ran as fast as they could to help out the shepherd boy. But when they got there, there was no wolf. And they became angry and told him, “don't call us up here for nothing!” Then the villagers went back to their houses. The shepherd boy thought it'd be funny to do it again. So he did, and the villagers got even more angry and went back to their houses. Later, the shepherd boy saw a real wolf so he cried out as loud as he could, “WOLF! WOLF! AHHHHH! HE'S ATTACKING MY SHEEPZ!” Yeah, no one believed him so all his sheep got eaten up and the young shepherd boy got slaughtered.
Sucks for the shepherd boy, eh? But what does this have to do with Paul and Silas?
Read Acts 16:35-40
So when the magistrates wanted Paul and Silas to be released from prison, they didn't want their hands to be stained with innocent blood. After all, Paul and Silas were Roman Citizens as well as Christians. They didn't want to be released quietly...why? Because just like the shepherd boy, if they were released in secret, they would be branded as a troublemaker and a lawbreaker by the rest of the people in the area. But why would they make such a huge deal? Because they wanted the public reputation of the gospel and Christians to stay clean. After all, he realized that Christians were judged by their title, and it is still like that today.
So what are we to do? We are to live our lives as Holy People. Since we were justified through Christ's blood. We must strive for sanctification, which is an effort towards a holy life. We do this so that whenever we are out there in the world, they know that we are Christians just by the way we carry ourselves and the way we live our lives. We should not be the boy who cried wolf and be hypocrites because then our actions contradict what we believe and stand for.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for God’s Guidance in the furthering the development of the universal Church
Once upon a time, there was a young shepherd boy who was bored as he was watching the sheep of the entire village. He thought it'd be funny and sang out, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is trying to kill all my sheep!” So all the villagers ran as fast as they could to help out the shepherd boy. But when they got there, there was no wolf. And they became angry and told him, “don't call us up here for nothing!” Then the villagers went back to their houses. The shepherd boy thought it'd be funny to do it again. So he did, and the villagers got even more angry and went back to their houses. Later, the shepherd boy saw a real wolf so he cried out as loud as he could, “WOLF! WOLF! AHHHHH! HE'S ATTACKING MY SHEEPZ!” Yeah, no one believed him so all his sheep got eaten up and the young shepherd boy got slaughtered.
Sucks for the shepherd boy, eh? But what does this have to do with Paul and Silas?
Read Acts 16:35-40
So when the magistrates wanted Paul and Silas to be released from prison, they didn't want their hands to be stained with innocent blood. After all, Paul and Silas were Roman Citizens as well as Christians. They didn't want to be released quietly...why? Because just like the shepherd boy, if they were released in secret, they would be branded as a troublemaker and a lawbreaker by the rest of the people in the area. But why would they make such a huge deal? Because they wanted the public reputation of the gospel and Christians to stay clean. After all, he realized that Christians were judged by their title, and it is still like that today.
So what are we to do? We are to live our lives as Holy People. Since we were justified through Christ's blood. We must strive for sanctification, which is an effort towards a holy life. We do this so that whenever we are out there in the world, they know that we are Christians just by the way we carry ourselves and the way we live our lives. We should not be the boy who cried wolf and be hypocrites because then our actions contradict what we believe and stand for.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for God’s Guidance in the furthering the development of the universal Church
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Jailbreak!
Okay today, we’re going to start with something completely different with what I
usually do. We’re going to read the passage first! Gasp!
Read Acts 16:16-34
In order to get a better understanding of this passage, we should place ourselves in the shoes (or sandals) of the jail guard. Imagine that you get up every morning, kiss your wife and little girl goodbye, and head out for the prison to work from 9AM – 5PM every day. Your job is fairly easy, save for the occasional jailbreaks, but it’s nothing your trusty government-issue sword can’t handle. One day, however, two men who have lash marks across their backs and faces so bruised you could barely tell the two apart are dragged into your prison. The magistrate (who’s pretty much your boss) orders you to guard them carefully. You know what will happen to you if you fail to do this. All of the sudden your job got really stressful. So you take the two, wincing at their wounds and trying not to feel pity, and lock them in the innermost cell, and fastening their feet in stocks so they can’t even walk around the cell. You’re pretty confident that these two aren’t going anywhere and that your career and life is no longer in jeopardy. You’d like to go home, but orders are orders, so you decide to pull up a chair and wait out the night until the magistrates come to pick up the odd pair. You don’t even know what they did wrong, but you figure it must have been bad seeing as they were flogged so badly. You shrug and lean back in your chair, content to know that everything is still going well for you and the next day it’s just the same thing again. You can’t wait for your paycheck and a chance to see your beautiful wife and adorable little princess. As you think about these, you start to doze off. It’s getting late, after all. But before you completely conk out, you hear the two singing and praying to someone they call their God. Their praises and their singing doesn’t bother you that much, but as you fall asleep you can’t help but to think, Who is this “God” they are singing to that can give them so much hope and joy in a prison? Then, you fall asleep completely.
RRRUUMBLLEEEEEE! You wake up immediately, and think “Rome gets earthquakes?! This wasn’t in my job description!” You look around and to your dismay, you see that all the jail cells have been completely opened and the chains are all broken. Nobody is around, so you know immediately that every prisoner, including the two mysterious men, is gone. You cry out in despair, and you know that you cannot live anymore. You draw your sword and are about to end it all, muttering a silent apology to your wife and daughter, when through the darkness and stillness a voice cries out, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” You are so relieved and shocked, you run out to get a torch, and while coming back, you know for sure that the two men must have called upon their God to be saved. You know that you need all the help you can get at this point, and maybe these two can help you salvage your career by performing some miracle, so you rush in and fall before the two, asking, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
But the two, who are called Paul and Silas, know about a saving power that extends beyond just keeping you out of trouble with the law. They reply to you, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” You know now you are onto something good.
So in summary, the guard was living a life that seemed normal to him, going day to day about his job. But when the world (literally) came crashing down around his head, what did he have to turn to? Luckily, Paul and Silas were there to give him a good direction. So think about this, when you see someone whose life is crashing down around them, will you be their Paul and Silas? When your own life is crashing down around you, who will you turn to?
PRAYER CALENDAR
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Thank God for the church, that he has provided us a place to gather and worship him
usually do. We’re going to read the passage first! Gasp!
Read Acts 16:16-34
In order to get a better understanding of this passage, we should place ourselves in the shoes (or sandals) of the jail guard. Imagine that you get up every morning, kiss your wife and little girl goodbye, and head out for the prison to work from 9AM – 5PM every day. Your job is fairly easy, save for the occasional jailbreaks, but it’s nothing your trusty government-issue sword can’t handle. One day, however, two men who have lash marks across their backs and faces so bruised you could barely tell the two apart are dragged into your prison. The magistrate (who’s pretty much your boss) orders you to guard them carefully. You know what will happen to you if you fail to do this. All of the sudden your job got really stressful. So you take the two, wincing at their wounds and trying not to feel pity, and lock them in the innermost cell, and fastening their feet in stocks so they can’t even walk around the cell. You’re pretty confident that these two aren’t going anywhere and that your career and life is no longer in jeopardy. You’d like to go home, but orders are orders, so you decide to pull up a chair and wait out the night until the magistrates come to pick up the odd pair. You don’t even know what they did wrong, but you figure it must have been bad seeing as they were flogged so badly. You shrug and lean back in your chair, content to know that everything is still going well for you and the next day it’s just the same thing again. You can’t wait for your paycheck and a chance to see your beautiful wife and adorable little princess. As you think about these, you start to doze off. It’s getting late, after all. But before you completely conk out, you hear the two singing and praying to someone they call their God. Their praises and their singing doesn’t bother you that much, but as you fall asleep you can’t help but to think, Who is this “God” they are singing to that can give them so much hope and joy in a prison? Then, you fall asleep completely.
RRRUUMBLLEEEEEE! You wake up immediately, and think “Rome gets earthquakes?! This wasn’t in my job description!” You look around and to your dismay, you see that all the jail cells have been completely opened and the chains are all broken. Nobody is around, so you know immediately that every prisoner, including the two mysterious men, is gone. You cry out in despair, and you know that you cannot live anymore. You draw your sword and are about to end it all, muttering a silent apology to your wife and daughter, when through the darkness and stillness a voice cries out, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” You are so relieved and shocked, you run out to get a torch, and while coming back, you know for sure that the two men must have called upon their God to be saved. You know that you need all the help you can get at this point, and maybe these two can help you salvage your career by performing some miracle, so you rush in and fall before the two, asking, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
But the two, who are called Paul and Silas, know about a saving power that extends beyond just keeping you out of trouble with the law. They reply to you, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” You know now you are onto something good.
So in summary, the guard was living a life that seemed normal to him, going day to day about his job. But when the world (literally) came crashing down around his head, what did he have to turn to? Luckily, Paul and Silas were there to give him a good direction. So think about this, when you see someone whose life is crashing down around them, will you be their Paul and Silas? When your own life is crashing down around you, who will you turn to?
PRAYER CALENDAR
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Thank God for the church, that he has provided us a place to gather and worship him
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
What If They Smelled Like Pee?
Read Acts 16: 11-15
The Biblical narrative takes us today to Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. Now, we are truly in what is today known as Europe. Understand that at the time the “holy grail” of missionary work was for there to be a church in Rome, the capital of “the rest of the world”. Thus, we see the Gospel begin its spread from beyond the Middle East and into Europe, where for the next 1,000 years it will develop and change. But by tradition, the first European Christian was Lydia.
Lydia is a “dealer in purple cloth” from the city of Thyatira. In a sentence, that makes her ridiculously rich. She doesn’t make the cloth herself, but is a businesswoman who buys the cloth from makers and sells it at a higher price at IKEA... or whatever their equivalent was. In Philippi there were not many Jews. In fact, you’re supposed to have 10 married men in order to set up a synagogue, and Philippi does not qualify. So they customarily meet next to a river, which is where Paul found the Jewish congregation.
Before we move on, note the second half of verse 14: the Lord opened up her heart to respond to Paul’s message. Luke, the author of Acts, was careful to include God into the process of Paul’s evangelism. It is clear that evangelism is a partnership between the believer and God. So often in our evangelistic efforts it’s easy to think that God needs us to reach out to the world. No! Is not our God all-powerful? He does not need us to evangelize - He could’ve done it Himself! But it is a measure of His love for us that He allows us to play an active role in His kingdom! Thus, when we send a missions team out to the world we need to make sure that (1) it’s all about God and not the team, and (2) we support the team in prayer because it is God that moves hearts, not people.
What is interesting about this passage is Lydia’s response to Paul. After she received the Gospel and believed, she immediately invited Paul to their house. Now, keep in mind that Lydia met Paul and his team for only 1-2 hours. For all she knows, he could’ve been an eloquent cheat masquerading as a holy guru, a Bernie Madoff. But Lydia, whose heart is changed, regarded Paul and his team not as strangers anymore but as brothers. Thus, she went so far as to insist that they spend some time resting at her house.
Maybe to you it doesn’t mean much... or maybe it’s me reading way too much into the passage, but how much like Lydia are we in the youth group? Our theme this year is United in Christ, breaking all barriers to worship. But are we truly committed to breaking all barriers to worship?
When I was a senior in high school, my youth group did a 30-Hour Famine lock-in with 4 other churches in the Twin Cities area. It was great... I loved it. One of the interesting events was when we prepared to distribute food to the Somali refugees scattered across the Twin Cities. The pastor of one of the churches gave us a quick message before we left. He admonished us to “love the people you’re about to meet. If they need a hug, give one happily to them. So what if they smell like pee? If Jesus smelled like pee, would you hug him?”
Okay, maybe our barriers is not as obvious as pee. But if Jesus was a quiet 6th grader in the corner of the youth room, would you approach him? If Jesus did not have grades good enough to go to the College of DuPage, would you love him? If Jesus was a black guy living in the gritty South Side, would you talk to him? If Jesus slept on the streets of Chicago at night and showed up at your doorstep at 2 AM in the morning, would you open the door?
Maybe the world will see Christians differently if we were like Lydia. The world sees Christians as “Republican, conservative, pro-life, Bible-belt” and a bunch of other labels. As a thought experiment, spend a few moments imagining what the world would be like if we truly embraced the people who society rejected. What if we talked to the homeless that the Chicago wheelers-and-dealers walk past in a jiffy? What if the rich were shelters for the poor, and the strong were shields for the weak?
What if we truly hugged the refugees who smelled like pee?
Prayer Calendar
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your non-Christian friends. That they will not be swayed by negative pressures.
The Biblical narrative takes us today to Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia. Now, we are truly in what is today known as Europe. Understand that at the time the “holy grail” of missionary work was for there to be a church in Rome, the capital of “the rest of the world”. Thus, we see the Gospel begin its spread from beyond the Middle East and into Europe, where for the next 1,000 years it will develop and change. But by tradition, the first European Christian was Lydia.
Lydia is a “dealer in purple cloth” from the city of Thyatira. In a sentence, that makes her ridiculously rich. She doesn’t make the cloth herself, but is a businesswoman who buys the cloth from makers and sells it at a higher price at IKEA... or whatever their equivalent was. In Philippi there were not many Jews. In fact, you’re supposed to have 10 married men in order to set up a synagogue, and Philippi does not qualify. So they customarily meet next to a river, which is where Paul found the Jewish congregation.
Before we move on, note the second half of verse 14: the Lord opened up her heart to respond to Paul’s message. Luke, the author of Acts, was careful to include God into the process of Paul’s evangelism. It is clear that evangelism is a partnership between the believer and God. So often in our evangelistic efforts it’s easy to think that God needs us to reach out to the world. No! Is not our God all-powerful? He does not need us to evangelize - He could’ve done it Himself! But it is a measure of His love for us that He allows us to play an active role in His kingdom! Thus, when we send a missions team out to the world we need to make sure that (1) it’s all about God and not the team, and (2) we support the team in prayer because it is God that moves hearts, not people.
What is interesting about this passage is Lydia’s response to Paul. After she received the Gospel and believed, she immediately invited Paul to their house. Now, keep in mind that Lydia met Paul and his team for only 1-2 hours. For all she knows, he could’ve been an eloquent cheat masquerading as a holy guru, a Bernie Madoff. But Lydia, whose heart is changed, regarded Paul and his team not as strangers anymore but as brothers. Thus, she went so far as to insist that they spend some time resting at her house.
Maybe to you it doesn’t mean much... or maybe it’s me reading way too much into the passage, but how much like Lydia are we in the youth group? Our theme this year is United in Christ, breaking all barriers to worship. But are we truly committed to breaking all barriers to worship?
When I was a senior in high school, my youth group did a 30-Hour Famine lock-in with 4 other churches in the Twin Cities area. It was great... I loved it. One of the interesting events was when we prepared to distribute food to the Somali refugees scattered across the Twin Cities. The pastor of one of the churches gave us a quick message before we left. He admonished us to “love the people you’re about to meet. If they need a hug, give one happily to them. So what if they smell like pee? If Jesus smelled like pee, would you hug him?”
Okay, maybe our barriers is not as obvious as pee. But if Jesus was a quiet 6th grader in the corner of the youth room, would you approach him? If Jesus did not have grades good enough to go to the College of DuPage, would you love him? If Jesus was a black guy living in the gritty South Side, would you talk to him? If Jesus slept on the streets of Chicago at night and showed up at your doorstep at 2 AM in the morning, would you open the door?
Maybe the world will see Christians differently if we were like Lydia. The world sees Christians as “Republican, conservative, pro-life, Bible-belt” and a bunch of other labels. As a thought experiment, spend a few moments imagining what the world would be like if we truly embraced the people who society rejected. What if we talked to the homeless that the Chicago wheelers-and-dealers walk past in a jiffy? What if the rich were shelters for the poor, and the strong were shields for the weak?
What if we truly hugged the refugees who smelled like pee?
Prayer Calendar
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your non-Christian friends. That they will not be swayed by negative pressures.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Giving Up My Freedom in Jesus for Others
Read Acts 16:1-10
I remember one time I was in Intervarsity and I was just learning what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus. I wanted to get involved in my fellowship group so I approached our chapter president at the time and told him that I wanted to help more. He said, “Great, see you at 7am in the morning on Saturday”. For all of us that know what Saturday mornings are like for students, that is the time for catch up sleep and that time is so precious to us. So I reluctantly agreed and decided to help out in the morning. We were signing up for volleyball courts so that we could do an outreach event. The chapter president and I were the first in line and I was so excited that we would be able to reserve all the courts we needed. Then comes along some fellow college students that pretended that they didn’t see us in line. I gave the ….”ahhh hmmm” excuse me cough but they pretended again not to hear me. I then pretty much got in their face and explained to them that we were here first. They responded quite rudely and said, “don’t worry there will be plenty of courts left, you can sign up after us.” I was livid at this point, but the chapter president took me aside and said, “sometimes you have to lay down your rights to show the love of Jesus.” But this was injustice, this was wrong, this could not be the way. The chapter president then struck up a conversation with them and starting sharing about the event that we were going to have, and they came. I was floored, I wanted so much to yell and scream and point out to them how wrong they were, but I am so thankful for the wisdom of a godly man that pointed me to what was more important.
So you might be asking, what does that have to do with the current passage. Well in the beginning of this passage, Paul circumcised Timothy as an adult (OUCH- if you don’t know what that is, go ask Youth Director Jon Mann – just kidding come ask either him or Pastor Ben). I don’t know if we think about that one line from this passage, but Paul is asking Timothy to give up his rights of not being circumcised. Remember Paul is preaching to a lot of people that they shouldn’t let circumcision (the sign for Jews to show that they were part of God’s family) be the reason they believe and know you are in covenant relationship with God because of your relationship with Jesus. So Paul and Timothy both understand that Timothy being circumcised is a way to lay down his right to love people and minister to them. They are looking outside themselves and seeing what God wants to do. Do we have that attitude and desire? Do we lay down our rights for the sake of what God wants to do? Reflect on what that looks like for you.
Another really cool thing about this passage is the recognition of the Spirit’s leading for Paul’s missionary team. It says that the Spirit would not let them enter a certain region. We are not sure what that looked like but we do know that they recognized that the Spirit telling them not to enter a place. I do believe that God gives us guidance but what does that look like. Are we waiting for that burning bush? Are we waiting for the Spirit to show up with a road map for our life? Sometimes it is necessary to pray, read Scripture and do the things you feel are the things God wants you to do. If it is not, the Spirit will close those doors and make it clear that you aren’t suppose to go that way (again we don’t know what that looks like). However, I do believe that God has done this in my life where the Spirit has used people or circumstances to show me that God closed the door on things that I thought I was supposed to do. So pray, follow Jesus, but be ready to listen to the Spirit for guidance if you aren’t supposed to do or go somewhere.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Ask God how your family can be a light to the community around you
I remember one time I was in Intervarsity and I was just learning what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus. I wanted to get involved in my fellowship group so I approached our chapter president at the time and told him that I wanted to help more. He said, “Great, see you at 7am in the morning on Saturday”. For all of us that know what Saturday mornings are like for students, that is the time for catch up sleep and that time is so precious to us. So I reluctantly agreed and decided to help out in the morning. We were signing up for volleyball courts so that we could do an outreach event. The chapter president and I were the first in line and I was so excited that we would be able to reserve all the courts we needed. Then comes along some fellow college students that pretended that they didn’t see us in line. I gave the ….”ahhh hmmm” excuse me cough but they pretended again not to hear me. I then pretty much got in their face and explained to them that we were here first. They responded quite rudely and said, “don’t worry there will be plenty of courts left, you can sign up after us.” I was livid at this point, but the chapter president took me aside and said, “sometimes you have to lay down your rights to show the love of Jesus.” But this was injustice, this was wrong, this could not be the way. The chapter president then struck up a conversation with them and starting sharing about the event that we were going to have, and they came. I was floored, I wanted so much to yell and scream and point out to them how wrong they were, but I am so thankful for the wisdom of a godly man that pointed me to what was more important.
So you might be asking, what does that have to do with the current passage. Well in the beginning of this passage, Paul circumcised Timothy as an adult (OUCH- if you don’t know what that is, go ask Youth Director Jon Mann – just kidding come ask either him or Pastor Ben). I don’t know if we think about that one line from this passage, but Paul is asking Timothy to give up his rights of not being circumcised. Remember Paul is preaching to a lot of people that they shouldn’t let circumcision (the sign for Jews to show that they were part of God’s family) be the reason they believe and know you are in covenant relationship with God because of your relationship with Jesus. So Paul and Timothy both understand that Timothy being circumcised is a way to lay down his right to love people and minister to them. They are looking outside themselves and seeing what God wants to do. Do we have that attitude and desire? Do we lay down our rights for the sake of what God wants to do? Reflect on what that looks like for you.
Another really cool thing about this passage is the recognition of the Spirit’s leading for Paul’s missionary team. It says that the Spirit would not let them enter a certain region. We are not sure what that looked like but we do know that they recognized that the Spirit telling them not to enter a place. I do believe that God gives us guidance but what does that look like. Are we waiting for that burning bush? Are we waiting for the Spirit to show up with a road map for our life? Sometimes it is necessary to pray, read Scripture and do the things you feel are the things God wants you to do. If it is not, the Spirit will close those doors and make it clear that you aren’t suppose to go that way (again we don’t know what that looks like). However, I do believe that God has done this in my life where the Spirit has used people or circumstances to show me that God closed the door on things that I thought I was supposed to do. So pray, follow Jesus, but be ready to listen to the Spirit for guidance if you aren’t supposed to do or go somewhere.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Ask God how your family can be a light to the community around you
Monday, October 19, 2009
Conflict!
When I was the worship coordinator for my college fellowship I remember getting into a disagreement with one of my worship leaders. While the nature of the argument isn’t really that important, I remember that we left the discussion with the understanding that he would no longer be serving in the worship ministry, not necessarily because of an issue of sin, but because he felt that was the direction God was leading him in. Similarly, Paul and Barnabas ran into a situation during
their time ministering together.
Read Acts 15:36-41
What happened between these two brothers? Paul and Barnabas had been serving together throughout Paul’s first missionary journey, but now as he was about to embark on his second missionary journey, these two co-ministers part ways. It is interesting that Luke does not feel it is important or necessary to include who was in the right or in the wrong, but the disagreement revolved around the participation of Mark in this missions trip. Apparently, because Mark had left them on their previous journey a little prematurely, Paul didn’t feel it was best to take Mark again. Maybe Paul felt Mark was not spiritually mature enough to handle the rigors of another journey, or he was worried he would not finish the trip a second time. Barnabas on the other hand, felt it was better to bring Mark. Maybe this Son of Encouragement (that’s what the name Barnabas means) felt it would be better to mentor Mark and keep an eye on him rather than leaving him behind. For whatever reasons, Paul and Barnabas disagreed so much that they parted ways, Paul taking Silas and Barnabas taking Mark.
So what can we glean from this story about two men in ministry disagreeing? I find it interesting how Paul and Barnabas may have viewed this situation differently. Both men could have been right in a sense. Paul was correct in maybe thinking that Mark was not ready to take on the challenge of being a missionary, and that Paul would not have the necessary time to devote to training him, as it would hinder him from his responsibility to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Barnabas on the other hand maybe felt Mark could use some guidance and mentoring, something he was well equipped to provide. Both men were right. Mark wasn’t ready AND he needed mentoring. Maybe we’re speculating on Paul and Barnabas’s exact feelings on the matter. But what I do know is that the Holy Spirit saw fit to allow them to separate. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t, Paul and Barnabas, two men who were very much filled with the Spirit would not have done that.
Another thing to note is that, despite their disagreement, God used it to bring about his purposes. Instead of one missionary pastor and his team traveling to various cities, there were now two pastors traveling to different cities preaching and living out the Gospel. Also, we see that Mark did not always remain so “useless” or “unprepared” to Paul. Paul continues to commend this same Mark in his later letters (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; Philemon 24) and this is most likely the Mark who wrote the Gospel according to Mark. Amazing how God’s purposes are reached through His people. Maybe splitting up from Paul to get some one on one mentoring with Barnabas might have been exactly what Mark needed. Spend some time praising God for the way he works in our lives. Ask for wisdom and maturity in any disagreements in ministry you might be having with other brothers and sisters.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Lift up your complaints to God. Know that he hears them and cares for you.
their time ministering together.
Read Acts 15:36-41
What happened between these two brothers? Paul and Barnabas had been serving together throughout Paul’s first missionary journey, but now as he was about to embark on his second missionary journey, these two co-ministers part ways. It is interesting that Luke does not feel it is important or necessary to include who was in the right or in the wrong, but the disagreement revolved around the participation of Mark in this missions trip. Apparently, because Mark had left them on their previous journey a little prematurely, Paul didn’t feel it was best to take Mark again. Maybe Paul felt Mark was not spiritually mature enough to handle the rigors of another journey, or he was worried he would not finish the trip a second time. Barnabas on the other hand, felt it was better to bring Mark. Maybe this Son of Encouragement (that’s what the name Barnabas means) felt it would be better to mentor Mark and keep an eye on him rather than leaving him behind. For whatever reasons, Paul and Barnabas disagreed so much that they parted ways, Paul taking Silas and Barnabas taking Mark.
So what can we glean from this story about two men in ministry disagreeing? I find it interesting how Paul and Barnabas may have viewed this situation differently. Both men could have been right in a sense. Paul was correct in maybe thinking that Mark was not ready to take on the challenge of being a missionary, and that Paul would not have the necessary time to devote to training him, as it would hinder him from his responsibility to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Barnabas on the other hand maybe felt Mark could use some guidance and mentoring, something he was well equipped to provide. Both men were right. Mark wasn’t ready AND he needed mentoring. Maybe we’re speculating on Paul and Barnabas’s exact feelings on the matter. But what I do know is that the Holy Spirit saw fit to allow them to separate. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t, Paul and Barnabas, two men who were very much filled with the Spirit would not have done that.
Another thing to note is that, despite their disagreement, God used it to bring about his purposes. Instead of one missionary pastor and his team traveling to various cities, there were now two pastors traveling to different cities preaching and living out the Gospel. Also, we see that Mark did not always remain so “useless” or “unprepared” to Paul. Paul continues to commend this same Mark in his later letters (Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; Philemon 24) and this is most likely the Mark who wrote the Gospel according to Mark. Amazing how God’s purposes are reached through His people. Maybe splitting up from Paul to get some one on one mentoring with Barnabas might have been exactly what Mark needed. Spend some time praising God for the way he works in our lives. Ask for wisdom and maturity in any disagreements in ministry you might be having with other brothers and sisters.
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Lift up your complaints to God. Know that he hears them and cares for you.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Come as you are
Read Acts 15:1-21
I'm going to go back to the theme from last year here. And we're going to focus on who God loves. Of course, He loves everybody. It does not matter who you are or where you come from. You can not earn God's love and you also can not escape from it. This is what part of the passage is focusing on.
The other part of the issue that Christians were dealing with was circumcision. According to the custom, if you were not circumcised, you could not be saved. Now that is just not fair. Not fair in the sense that people would consider you “unclean” and therefore “unholy.” The awesome thing about this uncleanliness issue is that it was a thing of the past, the old covenant. We are now under a new covenant through Jesus Christ. Because Jesus came before us, and showed us the right way to do things. For Jesus chose several Gentiles to be his closest disciples. He did not discriminate by separating Jews from Gentiles.
Reread 15:7-11
“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Thank God for his wonderful love, because we are so unworthy of it.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C) (the universal church - all believers)
Pray for Christian based organizations (ex. Feed my starving children) and their role in helping bridge the Big C Church
I'm going to go back to the theme from last year here. And we're going to focus on who God loves. Of course, He loves everybody. It does not matter who you are or where you come from. You can not earn God's love and you also can not escape from it. This is what part of the passage is focusing on.
The other part of the issue that Christians were dealing with was circumcision. According to the custom, if you were not circumcised, you could not be saved. Now that is just not fair. Not fair in the sense that people would consider you “unclean” and therefore “unholy.” The awesome thing about this uncleanliness issue is that it was a thing of the past, the old covenant. We are now under a new covenant through Jesus Christ. Because Jesus came before us, and showed us the right way to do things. For Jesus chose several Gentiles to be his closest disciples. He did not discriminate by separating Jews from Gentiles.
Reread 15:7-11
“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Thank God for his wonderful love, because we are so unworthy of it.
Friday: Pray for the Church (Big C) (the universal church - all believers)
Pray for Christian based organizations (ex. Feed my starving children) and their role in helping bridge the Big C Church
Thursday, October 15, 2009
For the World
Imagine 50 years down the line, the world is in the aftermath of an era plagued by war and corruption. Everything is in shambles, there is little sunlight from all the dust kicked up by the warheads, the land is barren and empty. The population has been reduced by at least 75% and the world market is non-existent. Now Derek, who was a survivor of this great tragedy, has been living with a small community in what was left of Chicago. They struggle to survive, but have been pulling through. However, one day when the Derek got together a group to forage for resources and other survivors, they came across this simply enormous vault in the remains of the municipal center. It was tightly locked, but the bombings had jarred it loose. Derek and his group ran back to their shelter, found a large crowbar, and pried the door to the vault open. What they found inside was astounding. The room contained a book on a stand titled, “How to Heal the World After a Destructive Crisis”, and the rest of the seemingly endless vault contained all the materials and resources outlined by the book that was needed to make the world whole again. Overjoyed, Derek and his group ran back to their community and spread the news that the world could be saved. Everyone rejoiced and spoke of how the world could be restored to how it was 30 years ago, which was their Golden Era before the wars started. Now, for our sake, the story ends.
If you were Derek, what would you do? The sensible thing is to take the news around the globe and use the book to heal everything, right? The question is, is this story really that far-out from what we are experiencing today? I would say no. I’d like to make the assertion that we live in a moral wasteland not different from Derek’s world. Metaphorically, we Christians are the community graced by the good news that can save the world; God’s Word. It would be inconceivable for us, the community, to hoard the good news to ourselves, right? Take the example given in the read for today.
Read Acts 14:21- 28
The passage tells us of the places Peter and Barnabas go to spread God’s Word. How can we read this and not be inspired? This should ignite in us a passion to spread the word, yet even myself sometimes I just feel like this isn’t on my list of immediate to-dos. It’s on my list marked “I’ll get around to it when I get the chance.” The truth is though, God is telling me that the chance is now, and I’m sure He’s telling that to you too. I want you to reflect and think about how you can be a light to this world. Pardon the cliché, but every fire starts with a spark, and each one of us definitely has a potential for a spark. Take this passage as inspiration to go out and make a difference in someone’s life. I myself am rejoicing that I’ve brought a friend to Christ, and will start taking her to WCAC soon. I don’t want to be the only one who knows this great feeling, so I implore you to at least sow the seeds of Christ in one of your non-Christian friends. Do not be scared, embarrassed, or intimidated; just a few verses above the one we just read, Peter was even stoned by a crowd and left for dead, but he simply got up, and went back into the city. So follow his example, spread the news, because the world simply cannot wait.
WCAC YG - Prayer Calendar
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for the divisions among our church: Whether it’s within individual congregations or the church as a whole
If you were Derek, what would you do? The sensible thing is to take the news around the globe and use the book to heal everything, right? The question is, is this story really that far-out from what we are experiencing today? I would say no. I’d like to make the assertion that we live in a moral wasteland not different from Derek’s world. Metaphorically, we Christians are the community graced by the good news that can save the world; God’s Word. It would be inconceivable for us, the community, to hoard the good news to ourselves, right? Take the example given in the read for today.
Read Acts 14:21- 28
The passage tells us of the places Peter and Barnabas go to spread God’s Word. How can we read this and not be inspired? This should ignite in us a passion to spread the word, yet even myself sometimes I just feel like this isn’t on my list of immediate to-dos. It’s on my list marked “I’ll get around to it when I get the chance.” The truth is though, God is telling me that the chance is now, and I’m sure He’s telling that to you too. I want you to reflect and think about how you can be a light to this world. Pardon the cliché, but every fire starts with a spark, and each one of us definitely has a potential for a spark. Take this passage as inspiration to go out and make a difference in someone’s life. I myself am rejoicing that I’ve brought a friend to Christ, and will start taking her to WCAC soon. I don’t want to be the only one who knows this great feeling, so I implore you to at least sow the seeds of Christ in one of your non-Christian friends. Do not be scared, embarrassed, or intimidated; just a few verses above the one we just read, Peter was even stoned by a crowd and left for dead, but he simply got up, and went back into the city. So follow his example, spread the news, because the world simply cannot wait.
WCAC YG - Prayer Calendar
Thursday: Pray for the church (small c)
Pray for the divisions among our church: Whether it’s within individual congregations or the church as a whole
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
True Faith
Read Acts 14: 8-20
Last Wednesday I wrote about hope, how it is really about living today based on what we know will come. So when we pray for justice in places like Zimbabwe, we must live just lives as well. I also retold the story of King Herod Agrippa, a selfish utilitarian king who ruled only to save his own skin. I didn’t tell you the end. Agrippa, who was never a great speaker, finally had his Obama-moment, and gave a stunning speech. The crowd went wild, even going so far as to say, “He must be a god!” Agrippa was so full of himself that God took his life away. According to the biblical historian Josephus, Agrippa had searing stomach and heart pains, probably a combination of a heart attack and a severe ulcer. Not a nice way to die.
Today, we look at another person with an Obama-moment: Paul. He and his mentor, Barnabas, were in Lystra doing evangelistic work. Actually, Paul didn’t really need to give a speech even though he was a gifted speaker like Obama. He actually just, by the power of the Holy Spirit, healed a cripple. Unlike Agrippa, who basked in his own glory, Barnabas and Paul got the terror of their lives. The locals and the Temple of Zeus were going head over heels to worship them! Even the priests of Zeus were rushing to offer sacrifices on the spot! This was an evangelistic nightmare! Paul and Barnabas tried to salvage the situation by getting the people to their senses and realizing that it was God who was extraordinary, not them. Nothing helped.
To you, the people of Lystra might sound quite stupid, but allow me to convince you that this happens all over the world even today, in poor and developed countries. My mom is a self-taught investor and I had the interesting pleasure of meeting her investment friends. One of them, Sam Remisier, was particularly... oh how shall I put it... strange. Upon hearing that we have chosen to place our dad’s ashes on my mom’s bed-table, he was horrified, telling us that it is extremely bad luck. This is understandable, so my mom explained to them that as Christians we believe that the spirit of our dad is now in heaven, but we place his ashes there as a memorial for us. After all, it is just his ashes.
No sale. Sam nicely told us that it’s baaaaad feng-shui, going so far as to recommend 3 possible interment sites! Realizing that we were not easily convinced, he moved on to other feng-shui topics, like how in Singapore the new multi-billion-dollar Marina Bay Financial District is designed around feng-shui principles. He even told me about financial feng-shui! Now, I’m not financially sophisticated by any standard, but I don’t see (maybe you can convince me otherwise) how placing your computer screen in any direction affects how much money you make from the stock market. I should clarify, by the way, that this is not unique to Sam. Some of our Christian friends are also big believers in feng-shui.
What people like Sam and some of our Christian friends do not have is faith. Biblical faith, that is. Biblical faith, as I have written about last Wednesday, is how you live today based on what you know from the past. Biblical faith is a certain faith. A lot of times when we use the word “believe” we really are not certain about it. “I believe I did well on the SAT” means that you’re not really sure you did well, but chances are you did. That’s not biblical faith. Biblical faith is so certain that it affects how we live our lives today. When we have faith in a God so powerful that earthquakes happen in His timing, how can we be moved by feng-shui, this idea that placement of mere things can affect good or bad luck?
Shallow faith is completely uncertain. So uncertain, in fact, that it is easily swayed. The shallowness of the Lystrans’ faith is evident. It took one miracle to make them think Paul and Barnabas are gods, and even after they tried to tell them otherwise, nothing worked. But somehow it only took a bunch of Jews (vs. 19) from Antioch and Iconium to get these people from being total worshippers to total annihilators!
How can we avoid shallow faith? Remember: biblical faith is how you live today based on what you know from the past. The Christian past is written in the Bible. So that’s why we encourage you to read the Bible, because it is from knowing our past that we can know how to live today. So let us be people of faith and let nothing, including feng-shui, shake us! For we know from the Bible that our God is mighty to save and Lord of everything.
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your Christian friends,that they will not be swayed by outside pressures
Last Wednesday I wrote about hope, how it is really about living today based on what we know will come. So when we pray for justice in places like Zimbabwe, we must live just lives as well. I also retold the story of King Herod Agrippa, a selfish utilitarian king who ruled only to save his own skin. I didn’t tell you the end. Agrippa, who was never a great speaker, finally had his Obama-moment, and gave a stunning speech. The crowd went wild, even going so far as to say, “He must be a god!” Agrippa was so full of himself that God took his life away. According to the biblical historian Josephus, Agrippa had searing stomach and heart pains, probably a combination of a heart attack and a severe ulcer. Not a nice way to die.
Today, we look at another person with an Obama-moment: Paul. He and his mentor, Barnabas, were in Lystra doing evangelistic work. Actually, Paul didn’t really need to give a speech even though he was a gifted speaker like Obama. He actually just, by the power of the Holy Spirit, healed a cripple. Unlike Agrippa, who basked in his own glory, Barnabas and Paul got the terror of their lives. The locals and the Temple of Zeus were going head over heels to worship them! Even the priests of Zeus were rushing to offer sacrifices on the spot! This was an evangelistic nightmare! Paul and Barnabas tried to salvage the situation by getting the people to their senses and realizing that it was God who was extraordinary, not them. Nothing helped.
To you, the people of Lystra might sound quite stupid, but allow me to convince you that this happens all over the world even today, in poor and developed countries. My mom is a self-taught investor and I had the interesting pleasure of meeting her investment friends. One of them, Sam Remisier, was particularly... oh how shall I put it... strange. Upon hearing that we have chosen to place our dad’s ashes on my mom’s bed-table, he was horrified, telling us that it is extremely bad luck. This is understandable, so my mom explained to them that as Christians we believe that the spirit of our dad is now in heaven, but we place his ashes there as a memorial for us. After all, it is just his ashes.
No sale. Sam nicely told us that it’s baaaaad feng-shui, going so far as to recommend 3 possible interment sites! Realizing that we were not easily convinced, he moved on to other feng-shui topics, like how in Singapore the new multi-billion-dollar Marina Bay Financial District is designed around feng-shui principles. He even told me about financial feng-shui! Now, I’m not financially sophisticated by any standard, but I don’t see (maybe you can convince me otherwise) how placing your computer screen in any direction affects how much money you make from the stock market. I should clarify, by the way, that this is not unique to Sam. Some of our Christian friends are also big believers in feng-shui.
What people like Sam and some of our Christian friends do not have is faith. Biblical faith, that is. Biblical faith, as I have written about last Wednesday, is how you live today based on what you know from the past. Biblical faith is a certain faith. A lot of times when we use the word “believe” we really are not certain about it. “I believe I did well on the SAT” means that you’re not really sure you did well, but chances are you did. That’s not biblical faith. Biblical faith is so certain that it affects how we live our lives today. When we have faith in a God so powerful that earthquakes happen in His timing, how can we be moved by feng-shui, this idea that placement of mere things can affect good or bad luck?
Shallow faith is completely uncertain. So uncertain, in fact, that it is easily swayed. The shallowness of the Lystrans’ faith is evident. It took one miracle to make them think Paul and Barnabas are gods, and even after they tried to tell them otherwise, nothing worked. But somehow it only took a bunch of Jews (vs. 19) from Antioch and Iconium to get these people from being total worshippers to total annihilators!
How can we avoid shallow faith? Remember: biblical faith is how you live today based on what you know from the past. The Christian past is written in the Bible. So that’s why we encourage you to read the Bible, because it is from knowing our past that we can know how to live today. So let us be people of faith and let nothing, including feng-shui, shake us! For we know from the Bible that our God is mighty to save and Lord of everything.
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your Christian friends,that they will not be swayed by outside pressures
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Believe (Fully Believe)
Read Acts 14:1-7
It is interesting to think about the strategy of Paul and Barnabas. First, it was to go to the Jewish synagogue (as usual). Why there? If they were reaching more and more people for Jesus especially the Gentiles (non-Jews) – why was the strategy to always start in at the Jewish center (the synagogue). It was clear that the Jews continue to know they were part of God’s chosen people and it was so important to shed light of how they were to see their calling to be a light for others from the beginning. This message of Jesus was for everyone from the Jews to the Gentiles. If they were able to gain the trust of those who already were suppose to know God, then they could help with bringing more to the kingdom. Here Paul and Barnabas are doing God’s work in speaking boldly and effectively. But to make sure that the words were not just from themselves, God showed miraculous signs and wonders so that they knew that it was by God’s power and the Holy Spirit that people were coming to surrender their lives to Jesus. That is where I want us to start thinking. The word is “believe”. They were Jews who already knew God and believed He was out there. But believing is not just a cognitive, head knowledge thing. The understanding here is that many believed (surrender to Jesus and submitted their lives to God). It is no longer a ritual rule thing that they were living for but a life with God through Jesus. Here we see that this message was so effective that it didn’t just reach the Jews but also the Gentiles in that area. However, not everyone wanted to embrace that. There were still Jews that were threatened by this because it affected their own desire and thoughts on what this meant. It was more about themselves and the power they held through the things they “believed in”.
So I ask you to start thinking about that for yourself. Where would we start in sharing about the Jesus that gives us a full life in God? Are you living for God and who He is, or are you like a Jew that is threatened by what this Jesus is asking you to do in living for Him?
Spend some time praying and reflecting on things ways you don’t want to just “believe” with your head but you want to surrender/submit/believe with all that you are and live a life “worthy of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 4:1.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs
It is interesting to think about the strategy of Paul and Barnabas. First, it was to go to the Jewish synagogue (as usual). Why there? If they were reaching more and more people for Jesus especially the Gentiles (non-Jews) – why was the strategy to always start in at the Jewish center (the synagogue). It was clear that the Jews continue to know they were part of God’s chosen people and it was so important to shed light of how they were to see their calling to be a light for others from the beginning. This message of Jesus was for everyone from the Jews to the Gentiles. If they were able to gain the trust of those who already were suppose to know God, then they could help with bringing more to the kingdom. Here Paul and Barnabas are doing God’s work in speaking boldly and effectively. But to make sure that the words were not just from themselves, God showed miraculous signs and wonders so that they knew that it was by God’s power and the Holy Spirit that people were coming to surrender their lives to Jesus. That is where I want us to start thinking. The word is “believe”. They were Jews who already knew God and believed He was out there. But believing is not just a cognitive, head knowledge thing. The understanding here is that many believed (surrender to Jesus and submitted their lives to God). It is no longer a ritual rule thing that they were living for but a life with God through Jesus. Here we see that this message was so effective that it didn’t just reach the Jews but also the Gentiles in that area. However, not everyone wanted to embrace that. There were still Jews that were threatened by this because it affected their own desire and thoughts on what this meant. It was more about themselves and the power they held through the things they “believed in”.
So I ask you to start thinking about that for yourself. Where would we start in sharing about the Jesus that gives us a full life in God? Are you living for God and who He is, or are you like a Jew that is threatened by what this Jesus is asking you to do in living for Him?
Spend some time praying and reflecting on things ways you don’t want to just “believe” with your head but you want to surrender/submit/believe with all that you are and live a life “worthy of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 4:1.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Tuesday: Pray for your family
Pray that God will provide for your family’s daily needs
Monday, October 12, 2009
Pointing Forward
Read Acts 13:13-52
One of the things I most enjoy doing in my free time is watching movies. Now, understandably, there are a lot of inappropriate movies out there today, as well as many illegitimate ways of obtaining them for viewing. But when having chosen a good movie, I just love sitting and enjoying a good story. I love how all these little bits and pieces of a grander story begin to weave together until you get to the climax of the movie and it delivers some incredible ending or a satisfying resolution. For a movie to be entertaining, it has to have both of these necessary parts, both the buildup and the climax. If when you watched Gladiator, and all you saw was Maximus defeating Commodus in the Coliseum, you’d probably just think it was a movie with two alpha males exerting their dominance, without appreciation for what Maximus had to go through. Conversely, if you saw Mighty Ducks 2 and watched the US Jr. Hockey Team go through the trials of training and coming together at the international level, but didn’t see their final victory over the Icelandic squad, you’d be left without a satisfying ending. There was no closure, no pinnacle to the story.
In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul, is preaching to the men and women of Antioch in Pisidia. I think Paul crafts his message the way most movies find their success, he tells us all these little stories that ultimately point forward to the climax. He recounts to the Jews there all of their history as God’s people, from the time they were led out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into the Promise land all the way to how God gave them a king after his own heart in David. All of this was to point forward to the climax of God’s redemption story. Jesus. In his preaching on Jesus, Paul reminds the Jews of how Jesus is the culmination of God’s promises to them. That while the promises are being temporarily realized in the Old Testament, they find their final fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
I wonder if maybe we’ve neglected to see the build up in God’s redemption story and only focus on the climax. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is the most important part of the gospel message. Without Him, there is no ending to the story, we’re still waiting for a messiah. But sometimes, I think not knowing about God’s interaction with His people and all he’s done to set the stage for Jesus doesn’t give us a full picture of who Jesus is and what He’s done. We want to see the build up that points forward to the climax. If you were sitting and listening to Paul’s message, how much of what he mentioned in Acts 13:13-25 would you understand? Do you know about Israel in Egyptian bondage, about 40 years of wandering in the desert, about Joshua and the Canaan conquest? About Samuel, and Saul, and David? About John the Baptist? About Jesus? Maybe God is challenging you to dive into His word, the account of His interaction with us, to see more of what He’s done, is doing, and will do throughout the whole of human history.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Confess your sins to Jesus and pray for forgiveness and a changed
One of the things I most enjoy doing in my free time is watching movies. Now, understandably, there are a lot of inappropriate movies out there today, as well as many illegitimate ways of obtaining them for viewing. But when having chosen a good movie, I just love sitting and enjoying a good story. I love how all these little bits and pieces of a grander story begin to weave together until you get to the climax of the movie and it delivers some incredible ending or a satisfying resolution. For a movie to be entertaining, it has to have both of these necessary parts, both the buildup and the climax. If when you watched Gladiator, and all you saw was Maximus defeating Commodus in the Coliseum, you’d probably just think it was a movie with two alpha males exerting their dominance, without appreciation for what Maximus had to go through. Conversely, if you saw Mighty Ducks 2 and watched the US Jr. Hockey Team go through the trials of training and coming together at the international level, but didn’t see their final victory over the Icelandic squad, you’d be left without a satisfying ending. There was no closure, no pinnacle to the story.
In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul, is preaching to the men and women of Antioch in Pisidia. I think Paul crafts his message the way most movies find their success, he tells us all these little stories that ultimately point forward to the climax. He recounts to the Jews there all of their history as God’s people, from the time they were led out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into the Promise land all the way to how God gave them a king after his own heart in David. All of this was to point forward to the climax of God’s redemption story. Jesus. In his preaching on Jesus, Paul reminds the Jews of how Jesus is the culmination of God’s promises to them. That while the promises are being temporarily realized in the Old Testament, they find their final fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
I wonder if maybe we’ve neglected to see the build up in God’s redemption story and only focus on the climax. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is the most important part of the gospel message. Without Him, there is no ending to the story, we’re still waiting for a messiah. But sometimes, I think not knowing about God’s interaction with His people and all he’s done to set the stage for Jesus doesn’t give us a full picture of who Jesus is and what He’s done. We want to see the build up that points forward to the climax. If you were sitting and listening to Paul’s message, how much of what he mentioned in Acts 13:13-25 would you understand? Do you know about Israel in Egyptian bondage, about 40 years of wandering in the desert, about Joshua and the Canaan conquest? About Samuel, and Saul, and David? About John the Baptist? About Jesus? Maybe God is challenging you to dive into His word, the account of His interaction with us, to see more of what He’s done, is doing, and will do throughout the whole of human history.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Monday: Pray for your relationship with God
Confess your sins to Jesus and pray for forgiveness and a changed
Friday, October 9, 2009
See no evil, Speak no evil, Hear no evil
Read Acts 13:1-12
I'm going to use an image from Lord of the Rings to depict what is happening in Cyprus. If any have read The Two Towers, it's a great book. But we start off where Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf ride to Rohan's capital Edoras. They're going there because they need King Theoden's aid in the battle against Saruman. But Theoden doesn't do anything. This is because of Theoden's most trusted advisor, Grima Wormtongue, who was also Saruman's spy. So the evil lies and false information that Wormtongue gives has caused Theoden to become blind to his actions. Therefore, when Gandalf arrives, he banishes Wormtongue from Rohan so that Theoden returns to his normal self.
What's the point?
I don't mean to be judgmental or pessimistic or even accusing. But I'm saying that we should watch out for bad influences in our lives. Because sometimes we don't see what we are doing and become blind to our actions. We shouldn't stop doing those bad things only because they're bad, but because they are hindering our walk with God. Sometimes, it even takes someone else to point it out to us.
Usually, when someone points out one of our weaknesses, we snap back at them. “What do you know about me!? Why are you judging me!? Back off!” That is definitely not the type of attitude we should be displaying. Instead we should be humble and accept their criticism, whether or not it is constructive. And we should realize that we're not perfect people, we're far from perfect. This is why we need to strive to become a holy people, so that we can be a more accurate reflection of God.
Pray and reflect upon this passage.
Pray for humbleness.
ALSO FROM THE PRAYER CALENDAR
FRIDAY - Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for the Church to be a body of “A United People”
I'm going to use an image from Lord of the Rings to depict what is happening in Cyprus. If any have read The Two Towers, it's a great book. But we start off where Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf ride to Rohan's capital Edoras. They're going there because they need King Theoden's aid in the battle against Saruman. But Theoden doesn't do anything. This is because of Theoden's most trusted advisor, Grima Wormtongue, who was also Saruman's spy. So the evil lies and false information that Wormtongue gives has caused Theoden to become blind to his actions. Therefore, when Gandalf arrives, he banishes Wormtongue from Rohan so that Theoden returns to his normal self.
What's the point?
I don't mean to be judgmental or pessimistic or even accusing. But I'm saying that we should watch out for bad influences in our lives. Because sometimes we don't see what we are doing and become blind to our actions. We shouldn't stop doing those bad things only because they're bad, but because they are hindering our walk with God. Sometimes, it even takes someone else to point it out to us.
Usually, when someone points out one of our weaknesses, we snap back at them. “What do you know about me!? Why are you judging me!? Back off!” That is definitely not the type of attitude we should be displaying. Instead we should be humble and accept their criticism, whether or not it is constructive. And we should realize that we're not perfect people, we're far from perfect. This is why we need to strive to become a holy people, so that we can be a more accurate reflection of God.
Pray and reflect upon this passage.
Pray for humbleness.
ALSO FROM THE PRAYER CALENDAR
FRIDAY - Pray for the Church (Big C)
Pray for the Church to be a body of “A United People”
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Steven Special Devo
What up everybody! Today is another special devo for me where I have free reign to write about anything. This week, I want to address living out a Christian lifestyle at school, because if we want to be lights to our peers, then we have to allow Christ to pour out of every action we make. So I’m going to go over the tenets of behavior that I have observed and tried to live out. But first, I want you to fill out this list. If you’re non-Christian peers at school wanted to put you on trial for being a Christian, what evidence would they have? Write it here:
CHARGE EVIDENCE
_________ ______________
_________ ______________
_________ ______________
Ok. Now keeping these things you wrote down in mind, let us examine what I call the marks of the Christian student. First, I think it’s incredibly important to keep the Tongue in check. Swearing, rumors, and racism are not things that we should be falling to, especially swearing. The Bible tells us that the tongue, which is such a small muscle, can be the root for many evils. My friend goes to a Korean church, but when I saw him in math class every day he always dropped a bomb here and there, and this year when someone told me he was Christian I was like, “Really?!” Because the things he said did not portray him to be a follower of God. So now the question is, “how do we keep our tongue from wagging?” Well the only thing really is to tell ourselves, “I will not swear, tell rumors, or make inappropriate jokes.” Set a goal for yourself. I myself was pleasantly surprised when one of my friends told me, “How come you never swear?” I’m still battling this though because when I get angry sometimes something will slip out.
The next thing I want to address is Love. Does someone annoy you, or is there something about someone that just bothers you? I know every one of you can answer yes to this. For me, there is this one kid who used to annoy me to no end. Every time he sees me he tells me he want to breakdance battle with me and starts dancing in the hallway, and he would follow me everywhere, hit on my sister, and never think before he speaks. This is still a challenge to me, and something that really helped was to humor him. If he wanted to dance battle with me in the hallways and started breaking it down in a crowded area, then I’d say, “Man you just owned me, I’ve got nothing, so I won’t even try.” And just walk away. Whenever he said something stupid, I’d just shake my head and laugh. I’m still trying to deal with him hitting on Karen though, so if you have any ideas, please share. All in all, I’ve started making friends with him. So the point is, if someone annoys you or something bothers you, tell yourself to let go and relax, and little by little, we grow in our love. These two things are BIG in our walks with Christ, because by changing ourselves inside, we subsequently change our outsides and then lead by example.
Pray and ask God to help you recognize what you should change. Write down some goals you want to set for yourself this year.
MY GOALS
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
CHARGE EVIDENCE
_________ ______________
_________ ______________
_________ ______________
Ok. Now keeping these things you wrote down in mind, let us examine what I call the marks of the Christian student. First, I think it’s incredibly important to keep the Tongue in check. Swearing, rumors, and racism are not things that we should be falling to, especially swearing. The Bible tells us that the tongue, which is such a small muscle, can be the root for many evils. My friend goes to a Korean church, but when I saw him in math class every day he always dropped a bomb here and there, and this year when someone told me he was Christian I was like, “Really?!” Because the things he said did not portray him to be a follower of God. So now the question is, “how do we keep our tongue from wagging?” Well the only thing really is to tell ourselves, “I will not swear, tell rumors, or make inappropriate jokes.” Set a goal for yourself. I myself was pleasantly surprised when one of my friends told me, “How come you never swear?” I’m still battling this though because when I get angry sometimes something will slip out.
The next thing I want to address is Love. Does someone annoy you, or is there something about someone that just bothers you? I know every one of you can answer yes to this. For me, there is this one kid who used to annoy me to no end. Every time he sees me he tells me he want to breakdance battle with me and starts dancing in the hallway, and he would follow me everywhere, hit on my sister, and never think before he speaks. This is still a challenge to me, and something that really helped was to humor him. If he wanted to dance battle with me in the hallways and started breaking it down in a crowded area, then I’d say, “Man you just owned me, I’ve got nothing, so I won’t even try.” And just walk away. Whenever he said something stupid, I’d just shake my head and laugh. I’m still trying to deal with him hitting on Karen though, so if you have any ideas, please share. All in all, I’ve started making friends with him. So the point is, if someone annoys you or something bothers you, tell yourself to let go and relax, and little by little, we grow in our love. These two things are BIG in our walks with Christ, because by changing ourselves inside, we subsequently change our outsides and then lead by example.
Pray and ask God to help you recognize what you should change. Write down some goals you want to set for yourself this year.
MY GOALS
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My Deliverer is Standing By
Read: Acts 12: 1-24
My favorite, favorite praise song of all time is Rich Mullin’s My Deliver is Coming. It’s a song steeped in imagery, a beautifully written song indeed. The chorus says, “My Deliverer is coming. My Deliverer is standing by.”
Today the biblical narrative lands us with the apostles in trouble... again. Keep in mind that from now until about 200 years later Christians the mass persecution of Christians would continue. King Herod enters the picture. The “King Herod” mentioned here is historically known as Agrippa the Great (or Agrippa I). He was a very selfish and utilitarian ruler, enacting policies that simply enable him to stay in power. Thus, when the Roman emperor Claudius wanted to erect a statue of himself in the Temple courts, Agrippa quickly went to him to change his mind so the Jews won’t revolt and make him look bad. He eventually succeeded, but in exchange for the emperor leaving the Temple alone Agrippa would encourage the Jews to lavish praise after praise upon the emperor.
Agrippa was no speaker like Obama, and his popularity ratings were barely hovering above the 50% point. Anything that could even remotely upset the Jewish population will bring him down. When he found out that killing Christians for no judicial reason pleased the population, so he proceeded to take down Peter. But the Church was praying for him! And so God delivered Peter from Herod’s grasp and later, after meeting James, who leads the Church in Jerusalem, Peter left for other business. There is no time to rest when Jesus personally entrusted the apostles to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The prayer ministry has put out a huge list of prayer requests, and I was very happy to see that it involved praying for everything in the world, from the nuclear disarmament debates to the economy, from the health care issue to spiritual well-being. Oftentimes when we pray such big Weltanschauung (worldview) prayers we become discouraged, especially if the news reports that things are getting worse. As I write this devotional 2 hurricanes have blown through the Philippines and two earthquakes have hit Samoa and Indonesia... all in the space of just one week. But such is the beauty of hope. When we truly hope, we have faith that God will not leave things the way they are, but will make them better. But lest we think that’s all to hope, think again!
Later in the Bible, St. Paul would write about hope, faith, and love. We always focus on love because Paul follows it with “the greatest of these is love.” But hope and faith are important too. Faith drives our relationship with God based on what we know from what God has done in the past. That’s why we read our Bibles because it is the story of what God has done in the past. Based on that, we know how to live our lives today. That is faith. Hope says, “based on what we know God will do in the future, we know how to live our lives today.” Faith is living today based on the past. Hope is living today based on the future.
You see, when we pray we are exercising hope. Biblical hope affects how we live our lives today. So, if I truly hope and pray that the hungry will be fed and the weak will be strong, I will live my life so that the hungry will indeed be fed and the weak indeed will be strong. Biblical hope in prayer is not “God, we pray for peace” and then do nothing about it in our lives. By praying for peace in Iraq or Afghanistan, we must live a life where we support efforts to bring peace in those conflict-ridden countries. Biblical hope in prayer is not “God, please deliver the poor from poverty.” and not helping raise money or doing service projects to raise money for the poor.
That’s why, if anything, prayer is important for the Church, because we live our prayers out in our Christian lives! I realize that at WCAC, prayer meetings are boring and that there are issues with people “Kobe-escaping” from it. How unfortunate! Let me tell you that it was your prayers that kept our family afloat when my dad went to be with the Lord. I don’t know how I could’ve kept my sanity without your prayers! I know prayer is not as “fun” or as “nice sounding” as singing praises is, but it is so important! Let us, then, be people of prayer, that we can live the Christian life faithfully, and be people of hope in a time of great hopelessness.
One tangent before I sign off: one of the beautiful aspects of prayer, I think, is when brothers and sisters pray for each other, even if they’re oceans apart. So just as you guys have prayed for me and my family, it would be my joy to pray for you all as well. So if you have any prayer requests please email me: henry.sc.kuo@gmail.com.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your friend’s busyness and that they will look to God for strength.
My favorite, favorite praise song of all time is Rich Mullin’s My Deliver is Coming. It’s a song steeped in imagery, a beautifully written song indeed. The chorus says, “My Deliverer is coming. My Deliverer is standing by.”
Today the biblical narrative lands us with the apostles in trouble... again. Keep in mind that from now until about 200 years later Christians the mass persecution of Christians would continue. King Herod enters the picture. The “King Herod” mentioned here is historically known as Agrippa the Great (or Agrippa I). He was a very selfish and utilitarian ruler, enacting policies that simply enable him to stay in power. Thus, when the Roman emperor Claudius wanted to erect a statue of himself in the Temple courts, Agrippa quickly went to him to change his mind so the Jews won’t revolt and make him look bad. He eventually succeeded, but in exchange for the emperor leaving the Temple alone Agrippa would encourage the Jews to lavish praise after praise upon the emperor.
Agrippa was no speaker like Obama, and his popularity ratings were barely hovering above the 50% point. Anything that could even remotely upset the Jewish population will bring him down. When he found out that killing Christians for no judicial reason pleased the population, so he proceeded to take down Peter. But the Church was praying for him! And so God delivered Peter from Herod’s grasp and later, after meeting James, who leads the Church in Jerusalem, Peter left for other business. There is no time to rest when Jesus personally entrusted the apostles to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
The prayer ministry has put out a huge list of prayer requests, and I was very happy to see that it involved praying for everything in the world, from the nuclear disarmament debates to the economy, from the health care issue to spiritual well-being. Oftentimes when we pray such big Weltanschauung (worldview) prayers we become discouraged, especially if the news reports that things are getting worse. As I write this devotional 2 hurricanes have blown through the Philippines and two earthquakes have hit Samoa and Indonesia... all in the space of just one week. But such is the beauty of hope. When we truly hope, we have faith that God will not leave things the way they are, but will make them better. But lest we think that’s all to hope, think again!
Later in the Bible, St. Paul would write about hope, faith, and love. We always focus on love because Paul follows it with “the greatest of these is love.” But hope and faith are important too. Faith drives our relationship with God based on what we know from what God has done in the past. That’s why we read our Bibles because it is the story of what God has done in the past. Based on that, we know how to live our lives today. That is faith. Hope says, “based on what we know God will do in the future, we know how to live our lives today.” Faith is living today based on the past. Hope is living today based on the future.
You see, when we pray we are exercising hope. Biblical hope affects how we live our lives today. So, if I truly hope and pray that the hungry will be fed and the weak will be strong, I will live my life so that the hungry will indeed be fed and the weak indeed will be strong. Biblical hope in prayer is not “God, we pray for peace” and then do nothing about it in our lives. By praying for peace in Iraq or Afghanistan, we must live a life where we support efforts to bring peace in those conflict-ridden countries. Biblical hope in prayer is not “God, please deliver the poor from poverty.” and not helping raise money or doing service projects to raise money for the poor.
That’s why, if anything, prayer is important for the Church, because we live our prayers out in our Christian lives! I realize that at WCAC, prayer meetings are boring and that there are issues with people “Kobe-escaping” from it. How unfortunate! Let me tell you that it was your prayers that kept our family afloat when my dad went to be with the Lord. I don’t know how I could’ve kept my sanity without your prayers! I know prayer is not as “fun” or as “nice sounding” as singing praises is, but it is so important! Let us, then, be people of prayer, that we can live the Christian life faithfully, and be people of hope in a time of great hopelessness.
One tangent before I sign off: one of the beautiful aspects of prayer, I think, is when brothers and sisters pray for each other, even if they’re oceans apart. So just as you guys have prayed for me and my family, it would be my joy to pray for you all as well. So if you have any prayer requests please email me: henry.sc.kuo@gmail.com.
PRAYER CALENDAR
Wednesday: Pray for friends (inside and outside church)
Pray for your friend’s busyness and that they will look to God for strength.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Spreading The Good News to Everyone
We come to an amazing passage as we see followers of Jesus continue to grow and grow. This passage needs to be explained so that we can see how crucial this is to our history as Antioch is where they were first called “Christians”.
Read Acts 11:19-30
So we remember from a few devotions back, that Stephen had been persecuted and killed because of his firm belief in Jesus’ being Savior. Now we see that these followers of Jesus continue to be persecuted and scattered all over the place including Antioch. They found that they would try to share this message of Jesus first to the Jews that would listen. However, others were feeling compelled to share the message of Jesus to Gentiles (those that weren’t Jewish). So regardless, we have a sense that the gospel was preached and was starting to spread like wildfire to everyone. Now Jerusalem was the center of Jewish traditions and was considered the main hub for the church of followers of Jesus. So when they heard word that Christianity was spreading to places like Antioch (outside of Palestine area), they sent Barnabus, who is described as full of the Holy Spirit and faith, to check out what is happening up in Antioch. Barnabas saw the Holy Spirit working and God’s grace being given to the people as more and more people were coming to know God. Barnabus first was glad, he recognized God’s work rather than be suspicious and hinder God’s work, and he encouraged them to remain true to God with all their hearts. Then Barnabus went to find Saul (who would later be named Paul) to come with him to teach and help the church in Antioch.
We see that God has a plan to continue to spread His Good News to all and it will begin here with the church at Antioch. He begins with a light that continues to grow here for the Gentiles, and it will spread from here. The believers are known as Christians (followers of Christ) and are called to spread the wonderful news about Jesus’ love for others. It is clear that it isn’t just proclamation that is needed, we see from verses 27-30 that if they are calling themselves Christian, they absolutely have to live it out in their very lives by loving others especially those that are in need.
If you grew up in the church, you remember a little Sunday School song that asked us to hold up our finger and sing, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”. We want to let that shine against any opposition (we wouldn’t hide it under a bushel, we won’t let Satan blow it out). We also will share it with our neighbor and continue to share until Jesus comes. This light hopeful compels us and we continue to share this good news that started thousands of years ago with followers that were willing to live out what God has called them to and just couldn’t hold it back. Just think, if they didn’t live it out faithfully, would we be able to call ourselves Christian today?
Pray about the ways that you are called to continue to spread the Good News. Are you able to call yourself a Christian that proclaims the Good News and lives it out in your very life?
Read Acts 11:19-30
So we remember from a few devotions back, that Stephen had been persecuted and killed because of his firm belief in Jesus’ being Savior. Now we see that these followers of Jesus continue to be persecuted and scattered all over the place including Antioch. They found that they would try to share this message of Jesus first to the Jews that would listen. However, others were feeling compelled to share the message of Jesus to Gentiles (those that weren’t Jewish). So regardless, we have a sense that the gospel was preached and was starting to spread like wildfire to everyone. Now Jerusalem was the center of Jewish traditions and was considered the main hub for the church of followers of Jesus. So when they heard word that Christianity was spreading to places like Antioch (outside of Palestine area), they sent Barnabus, who is described as full of the Holy Spirit and faith, to check out what is happening up in Antioch. Barnabas saw the Holy Spirit working and God’s grace being given to the people as more and more people were coming to know God. Barnabus first was glad, he recognized God’s work rather than be suspicious and hinder God’s work, and he encouraged them to remain true to God with all their hearts. Then Barnabus went to find Saul (who would later be named Paul) to come with him to teach and help the church in Antioch.
We see that God has a plan to continue to spread His Good News to all and it will begin here with the church at Antioch. He begins with a light that continues to grow here for the Gentiles, and it will spread from here. The believers are known as Christians (followers of Christ) and are called to spread the wonderful news about Jesus’ love for others. It is clear that it isn’t just proclamation that is needed, we see from verses 27-30 that if they are calling themselves Christian, they absolutely have to live it out in their very lives by loving others especially those that are in need.
If you grew up in the church, you remember a little Sunday School song that asked us to hold up our finger and sing, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine”. We want to let that shine against any opposition (we wouldn’t hide it under a bushel, we won’t let Satan blow it out). We also will share it with our neighbor and continue to share until Jesus comes. This light hopeful compels us and we continue to share this good news that started thousands of years ago with followers that were willing to live out what God has called them to and just couldn’t hold it back. Just think, if they didn’t live it out faithfully, would we be able to call ourselves Christian today?
Pray about the ways that you are called to continue to spread the Good News. Are you able to call yourself a Christian that proclaims the Good News and lives it out in your very life?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Get Out of the Way!
By now, if you’ve been keeping up with the past week of devotionals, you’ll have read the famous passage in Acts 10 where Peter sees a vision of animals and here’s a voice say “Kill and Eat.” This is perhaps one of my favorite stories in the book of Acts. Admittedly, part of me finds the words “kill and eat” very humorous in the context of animals and food. But when I stop to actually think what God was trying to teach Peter with this vision, I’m astounded and amazed by His grace. God was basically telling Peter that despite what Peter thought as acceptable or unacceptable when it came to God’s people, God had an all together different plan. Because of God’s grace, gentiles have been grafted in to the covenant community. For every non-Jewish believer, it goes back to that revelation of God’s design for us, that He desires relationship with all of us, not just the Jews. Amazing. What we come to today is what happens when Peter takes this news of God’s grace back to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem.
Read Acts 11:1-18
Upon Peter’s return, some of the Jewish believers immediately jump on his case about associating with the Gentiles, since it was unlawful for the Jews to associate with Gentiles. Peter then in detail explains to the Jewish believers what God had revealed to them. Peter explains that after his vision, he went and preached the gospel to the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit fell on them. How was it that they would deny the Gentiles entry into their faith community because of their ethnicity when God had so clearly accepted them and brought them in, as evidenced by the Holy Spirit descending on them?
But perhaps, the thing I liked most about Peter’s response to the Jewish believers is found in Acts 11:17. Peter says, “if then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” I look at Peter’s life and this one verse demonstrates to me just how much God has changed this simple fisherman. This is the same Peter that told Jesus he would never let the Pharisees take Jesus to kill him; the same Peter that cut off a man’s ear to stop them from arresting Jesus.
Peter for so long thought he understood God’s plan. He thought he had it all figured out, and time after time, God revealed to him that his plan was bigger. That Peter’s expectations would not be met unless they were expectations that came from God. So now, this Peter, so different from the fisherman that is first introduced in the gospel of Matthew grasps it. “Who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” This is the attitude that we should have when we consider how God may want to work in and through us. Are we standing in His way and preventing Him from using us to impact our schools and friends and homes because we think we have it all figured out? Ask God to help you not stand in the way, and to reveal to you what His plan is.
Read Acts 11:1-18
Upon Peter’s return, some of the Jewish believers immediately jump on his case about associating with the Gentiles, since it was unlawful for the Jews to associate with Gentiles. Peter then in detail explains to the Jewish believers what God had revealed to them. Peter explains that after his vision, he went and preached the gospel to the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit fell on them. How was it that they would deny the Gentiles entry into their faith community because of their ethnicity when God had so clearly accepted them and brought them in, as evidenced by the Holy Spirit descending on them?
But perhaps, the thing I liked most about Peter’s response to the Jewish believers is found in Acts 11:17. Peter says, “if then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” I look at Peter’s life and this one verse demonstrates to me just how much God has changed this simple fisherman. This is the same Peter that told Jesus he would never let the Pharisees take Jesus to kill him; the same Peter that cut off a man’s ear to stop them from arresting Jesus.
Peter for so long thought he understood God’s plan. He thought he had it all figured out, and time after time, God revealed to him that his plan was bigger. That Peter’s expectations would not be met unless they were expectations that came from God. So now, this Peter, so different from the fisherman that is first introduced in the gospel of Matthew grasps it. “Who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” This is the attitude that we should have when we consider how God may want to work in and through us. Are we standing in His way and preventing Him from using us to impact our schools and friends and homes because we think we have it all figured out? Ask God to help you not stand in the way, and to reveal to you what His plan is.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Purification
Read Acts 10:9-23
If you take this passage for the literal sense, one of you guys would say, “God is calling us to not be vegetarian.” Though it may seem like it, that is NOT the point God is trying to get across to us. At a glance, it talks about food and Peter is trying to stay kosher.
God says, “Kill and eat... Do not call anything impure that God has made pure.” Here we can make a connection from food to people. I know we're not food, but God has also purified us no matter what we've done and no matter what background we come from. Jesus died for EVERYBODY's sin. That includes those rapists, killers, and gangsters out there. And when they realize God and turn their lives around, it makes their testimony even more beautiful. We praise God for it.
When God calls us to “not call anything impure that God has made pure,” he calls us to not look down on those who have just came to Christ or are not as “strong” in their faith. Because God has made them pure.
God calls us out to set our customs and traditions aside for his work. We should be called out of our little bubbles. It's about time we should show God's love to everybody including those huge losers at your school. Wait, they aren't losers because God has already made them pure. But we should be reaching out. We should be “trying new foods” by hanging out with other groups and being a salt and light to them.
Reflect and pray upon this passage again.
Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you take this passage for the literal sense, one of you guys would say, “God is calling us to not be vegetarian.” Though it may seem like it, that is NOT the point God is trying to get across to us. At a glance, it talks about food and Peter is trying to stay kosher.
God says, “Kill and eat... Do not call anything impure that God has made pure.” Here we can make a connection from food to people. I know we're not food, but God has also purified us no matter what we've done and no matter what background we come from. Jesus died for EVERYBODY's sin. That includes those rapists, killers, and gangsters out there. And when they realize God and turn their lives around, it makes their testimony even more beautiful. We praise God for it.
When God calls us to “not call anything impure that God has made pure,” he calls us to not look down on those who have just came to Christ or are not as “strong” in their faith. Because God has made them pure.
God calls us out to set our customs and traditions aside for his work. We should be called out of our little bubbles. It's about time we should show God's love to everybody including those huge losers at your school. Wait, they aren't losers because God has already made them pure. But we should be reaching out. We should be “trying new foods” by hanging out with other groups and being a salt and light to them.
Reflect and pray upon this passage again.
Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Exclusive Party (Not!)
Grace loves to go to church; she goes on a regular basis, sings worship, gives great answers in small group, and hangs out with her church buddies almost every day. She also prays a lot, is filled with love, and does her devotionals every day. Then, she repeats. See the problem here? Grace has a great relationship with Christ, but she is stuck in the bubble that is her church. She only grazes with the sheep of her own flock, and that’s not what God is calling us to do. This year’s theme is United; Without Walls, where we are concentrating on extending out of our comfort zone known as WCAC. We Christians are part of God’s family, not individual families of God. How can we carry out God’s will if day after day we exist in the two domes of our church? Let me ask you this. When you do the dishes, do you wash only the clean dishes? When you help trim the bushes, do you just stick to the bushes that are already in good order? Of course not. And our faith is no different. We cannot just stick to what is already here for us, because then we are missing the great horizon that God has set up for us. So now, I want you to be honest to yourself and inspect your walk with God. Are you ever out of your comfort zone? Have you really tried to introduce God to your friends? Have you even tried going to a different church a few times? If you answered no to any of these questions, do not lose heart, for in Simon Peter’s example we can find encouragement.
Read Acts 10:17-33
In this passage, God calls Peter to basically break a Jewish tradition that is so upstanding it is known as a law. Back then, associating with Gentiles (non-Jewish people) was considered unclean. In other words, back then the Jewish thought, “Ok, we have the family of God right here. We’re closed, no vacancy.” It doesn’t take a theologist to realize that that’s just a bit obnoxious. But God calls Peter to Cornelius’ house, and in doing so Peter becomes “unclean”. However, before the passage, God tells Peter that “What God has made clean, do not call common.” In essence, there is no such thing as unclean and common. There are two big things to note here: God’s calling of Peter, and Peter’s innate trust and immediate obedience to God. God does not want His people to become complacent. He does not have a population limit for his family; Christianity is not an exclusive party. That’s why He is calling us to go out into the community and seek other members of God’s family as well as the lost. Jesus did not just dine with his followers, but with tax-collectors and prostitutes as well. I want you guys to get out into the community and open your eyes.
I had the honor of going to Hanmee Korean Church in Itasca, Illinois. It was encouraging to see the similarities as well as the differences in how they worshipped and dug into the Word. I met with Pastor Eric, who is the only Chinese there and gets a lot of teasing for it, and shared with him how WCAC runs small groups because Hanmee YG wants to start a small group program. In return, I got to sit through an amazing sermon which was called the 7 Marks of Christian Immaturity. It was interesting to listen to a sermon that was complete rebuke. If I had this awesome experience, so can you! God called me to this church (through my sister), and when He did, I was reluctant at first. But now, I see how Peter was able to just get up and break tradition without a qualm. Use his example to get out of your comfort zone! Go mingle in the soiree known as God’s people!
Read Acts 10:17-33
In this passage, God calls Peter to basically break a Jewish tradition that is so upstanding it is known as a law. Back then, associating with Gentiles (non-Jewish people) was considered unclean. In other words, back then the Jewish thought, “Ok, we have the family of God right here. We’re closed, no vacancy.” It doesn’t take a theologist to realize that that’s just a bit obnoxious. But God calls Peter to Cornelius’ house, and in doing so Peter becomes “unclean”. However, before the passage, God tells Peter that “What God has made clean, do not call common.” In essence, there is no such thing as unclean and common. There are two big things to note here: God’s calling of Peter, and Peter’s innate trust and immediate obedience to God. God does not want His people to become complacent. He does not have a population limit for his family; Christianity is not an exclusive party. That’s why He is calling us to go out into the community and seek other members of God’s family as well as the lost. Jesus did not just dine with his followers, but with tax-collectors and prostitutes as well. I want you guys to get out into the community and open your eyes.
I had the honor of going to Hanmee Korean Church in Itasca, Illinois. It was encouraging to see the similarities as well as the differences in how they worshipped and dug into the Word. I met with Pastor Eric, who is the only Chinese there and gets a lot of teasing for it, and shared with him how WCAC runs small groups because Hanmee YG wants to start a small group program. In return, I got to sit through an amazing sermon which was called the 7 Marks of Christian Immaturity. It was interesting to listen to a sermon that was complete rebuke. If I had this awesome experience, so can you! God called me to this church (through my sister), and when He did, I was reluctant at first. But now, I see how Peter was able to just get up and break tradition without a qualm. Use his example to get out of your comfort zone! Go mingle in the soiree known as God’s people!
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