Month: November 2019

In Romans 4, Paul offers Abraham as an example of a man who lived by faith.  He even tells us Abraham “never” wavered in his faith.  We know Abraham did, at times, waver in his faith.  He didn’t trust God’s promise to give him and Sarah a son.  He lied to protect himself when he told leaders of other places Sarah was his “sister.”  But Paul’s words are true, so how can that be? Max Lucado offers the explanation Paul’s words about Abraham are an example of “the editing of grace.”  Abraham was not perfect, but Paul presents him that way, because through grace he was.  We see this happen in our own lives, when one we love dies.  Over time, the bad memories seem to fade, and the good ones become more vivid.  Through this editing of grace, our memories of the loved one grow fonder, and our own faith increases.

In Romans 5, Paul offers one of the most amazing truths in all of Scripture: Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  Throughout the chapter, Paul shows us how different Jesus, whom he refers to as the “second” Adam, was from the first Adam.  Adam introduced sin into the world, but Jesus redeemed us from sin and death.  His love for us didn’t come because we were good, or after we demonstrated improvement in our lives.  Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.  What amazingly good news.

In Romans 6, Paul raised a vital question, “If we are saved by grace, should we go on sinning so God’s grace may abound?”  It sounds reasonable.  If we love to sin, and God loves to forgive sin, why not sin more so God’s grace can come to us in even greater measure?  Paul’s response is as strong as it gets.  In the Greek, he wrote “Me genoito!” We could translate it “God forbid.”  It’s the strongest, possible way to say, “No!” in the Greek language.  Paul’s point is clear:  Jesus died to free us from sin.  Why would we continue to live in it?  Paul goes on to point out we are “slaves” to whatever masters us.  We can either be slaves to sin or to Jesus, but not both.  Jesus reminded us no one can serve two masters. It isn’t possible.  Jesus bottom-lined out to no one can serve both God and money.  Paul bottom-lines out to we can serve sin or righteousness.  Both remind us how crucial it is to put God first, and to live in His ways!

In Romans 7, Paul offers an illustration of how we overcome sin in our lives: we die.  While that sounds extreme, and it is, Paul meant we die to sin and the law.  He offers an illustration from everyday life, of a woman who is married to a stern husband.  Until the husband dies, the woman is obligated to her husband.  But if the husband dies, she is free to remarry.  In the illustration, we are the wife, the Mosaic Law is the husband, and Jesus is the new husband.  The Law instructed us in the ways of righteousness, but we could never live up to its standard.  In the second half of Romans 7, in which Paul tells us how he struggled with sin, not doing what he ought and doing what he didn’t want to do.  Some biblical scholars assume this was Paul’s pre-conversion testimony.  In other words, he lived this way before trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord.  But I find Paul’s words ring true in my life now. When I attempt to follow the rules, I fail.  Paul concluded by telling us the solution, “Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  It is Jesus, and what He did on the cross that frees us from sin, and it is His empowering Spirit who frees us to live new lives.  We’ll see that tomorrow as we turn to Romans 8.

As we return to Matthew 12, Jesus tells the religious leaders He is “Lord of the Sabbath” as a result of His disciples “working” on the Sabbath, by picking some heads of grain to eat.  Jesus was attacking the religious leaders’ trivialization of the Sabbath, through their efforts to make it attainable through human efforts.  Jesus further demonstrated His power over the Sabbath, by healing a man on the Sabbath.  This only caused the religious leaders to go out and plot how they could kill Jesus.  Jesus withdrew from that place as a result.  The religious leaders accused Jesus of performing miracles by the power of the devil, to which Jesus responded, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” Jesus condemned the religious leaders for their unwillingness to see the power of God at work.  Jesus went on to tell them He would offer them no sign of His authority, but the sign of “Jonah,” which was a reference to His death and burial.  The chapter closes with Jesus being sought by His mother and brothers. He reminds the people that anyone who does the will of His Heavenly Father is His mother, sister, and brother.  What a powerful reminder to us that we who trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, are a family, which is called to love and serve one another, and to offer Jesus’ salvation to the world.

Today, we open the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans.  Biblical scholars consider this letter the most developed presentation of Paul’s theology.  He had not been to the church in Rome when he wrote the letter, so he was both introducing himself to the people there and presenting a more systematic demonstration of what Jesus’ followers must believe than in any of his other letters.  Much of the Protestant Reformation, and its theology came from the study of Romans.  In particular, Romans 3:23-24, which we will consider briefly today, helped the Reformers to understand we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that alone, apart from our works is the means to salvation.

In Romans 1, Paul introduced himself to the Romans, and set forth his boldness in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ as the power of God for the salvation of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles.  In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul established the sinfulness of all humanity. I n chapter 1, Paul demonstrated how the world as a whole has turned against God. He offered a detailed explanation of how we all have an innate knowledge of God, but because we rejected it, God permitted us to follow that rejection to its ugly conclusion.

In Romans 2, Paul reminded those of Jewish background, it was not only the pagan Gentiles who were irretrievably fallen.  They, too, had rejected God’s will and purpose in their lives.  Paul pointed out how the Jews often condemned the Gentiles, but their lives were demonstrations of their rejection of God as well.  Paul pointed out that being a “Jew” is not a matter of outward expression, but of an inward change of the heart.

In Romans 3, Paul established God’s faithfulness in the midst of our unfaithfulness.  He concluded with this powerful statement:  ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)  God’s righteousness is available to all through Jesus!  This is the amazingly good news that follows the incredibly bad news. The bad news is we are all condemned by our own sin and deserve to be separated from God forever.  The good news is Jesus came to satisfy God’s wrath for our sin by dying on the cross to redeem us.  Paul unfolds these two powerful truths throughout Romans, but the foundation has been laid for us here: without Jesus we are lost, but thank God Jesus came to find us!

As we return to Matthew 11, we find the disciples of John the Baptist coming to Jesus to ask whether He was the one to come, that is the Messiah, or should they look for someone else.  John had been imprisoned by King Herod, and as he sat there considering what he heard of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus didn’t sound like the conquering Messiah, nearly every Jew awaited.  John wondered if he had been wrong about Jesus.  Jesus responded with an answer directly from the prophecy of Isaiah.  It would have assured John that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, but not the kind he awaited.  Jesus affirmed John’s greatness before the people but reminded them John was the last of the “old guard.”  The kingdom people who came after Jesus, all those who would be born again and demonstrate the power of God’s Kingdom would be greater.  After Jesus’ affirmation of John, He denounced the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.  He lived and ministered among the people there and they rejected Him.  Jesus pointed out that some of the condemned cities of the past would have repented if they had seen what these people saw, so their judgment would be greater.  The chapter closes with Jesus praising His Heavenly Father for revealing Him to those who weren’t of much standing in the world.  He also called any who were weary and burdened down to come to Him to find rest.  He promised a light “yoke” for those who served Him.

Acts 27 and 28 record Paul’s journey to Rome.  The journey included a terrible storm while they were at sea, being shipwrecked, and nearly put to death, because of the Roman law that if a prisoner escaped the guards were to bear the punishment, and finally landing on the island of Malta.  While there, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake, which led the natives to declare Paul was a murderer, and the “gods” wouldn’t allow him to escape justice.  Then when Paul showed no ill effects from the snake bite, the natives proclaimed him as a god.  (How easily human minds are changed!)  Upon his arrival in Rome, Paul was put under house arrest, but given some freedoms.  He was able to present the good news of Jesus to some Jews who lived in Rome, but once again most rejected the truth, because of Paul’s inclusion of the Gentiles.  The book ends with Paul still under arrest.  According to church tradition, Paul was eventually executed by the Romans for treason, that is because he was unwilling to bow down and call Caesar God.  Paul was faithful to Jesus to the end and offers us one of the most incredible examples ever, of what God can do to a life fully devoted to Him.

As we return to Matthew 10, we find Jesus selecting the twelve men He wanted to be His apostles. Jesus called the men, and then sent them out into the harvest on their first mission trip.  Before He sent them, Jesus told them they would face difficulty, suffering, and persecution.  He told them He hadn’t come to bring peace, but a sword.  This chapter flies in the face of much modern American Christianity, which promises a life of ease and plenty.  It’s true that when Jesus returns or we go to Him, life’s suffering will end, and we will experience unending joy.  But here on this earth, we will face challenge, and difficulty as part of the abundant life Jesus promised us in John 10.  Read Matthew 10 a couple of times and remember how honest Jesus is about the cost of following Him.  He is always worthy of our following, even more so, because of His telling us the cost up front.

Acts 24 records Paul’s defense before the Roman Governor Felix.  The Jews spoke first accusing Paul of crimes punishable by death, but Paul responded to the attack with calm assurances He had not done anything of which they accused him.  He admitted to being a follower of “The Way,” which was the preferred name Christians had for themselves at the time.  He appealed to Felix’s knowledge of the Way, but Felix left the matter undecided for two years.  He called for Paul frequently, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe, which he never did.  When Felix was reassigned, he left Paul in prison as a favor to the Jews, which meant Paul’s fate would be decided by the next governor, Porcius Festus.

In Acts 25, Festus gives the Jews an opportunity to speak against Paul again.  They made charges they couldn’t substantiate, and then Paul made his defense.  Festus didn’t see any real issues, but as a favor to the Jews, he asked Paul whether he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial.  Paul responded he was in Caesar’s court where he belonged, and he was willing to take any just punishment that would be decided, but he appealed to Caesar.  Before Festus made a decision, King Agrippa, the Jewish figure-head king, came to visit in Caesarea.  Festus told him about Paul, and also said he didn’t see anything wrong with Paul, but Paul had appealed to Caesar, so he was going to send Paul to Rome.  Before doing that, Festus wanted to have a proper charge to offer the emperor.  He didn’t have one.  King Agrippa said he would be glad to listen to Paul, and an audience was arranged.

In Acts 26, Paul offers his defense before King Agrippa and Queen Bernice.  Once again, Paul rehearses his testimony, going into greater detail, because he understood King Agrippa was of Jewish background, and knew about Jesus, and “The Way.”  As Paul was talking about his Damascus road experience, Festus interrupted, shouting that Paul had gone mad, because of his extensive learning. Paul responded he was not mad, and that King Agrippa was well aware of all that had happened, because it wasn’t done “in a corner.”  He appealed to Agrippa’s knowledge of the prophets.  Agrippa responded, “In such a short time do you think you can make me a Christian?”  Paul’s response was whether it was short time or long, he wished that all people were as he was except for the chains.  After the presentation, Agrippa and Festus agreed Paul had done nothing deserving of punishment, and that he could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.  Think about that.  Paul could have been set if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.  Yet, the Lord had already told him he would be appearing before Caesar.  Paul’s appeal was part of God’s larger plan to see the gospel preached everywhere.  Sometimes, we experience challenges in our life that make no sense to us at the time, but when we put them in God’s hands, he uses them for His good.  Paul’s imprisonment was not a good thing, but God used it to bring glory to Himself, because Paul submitted to His lordship even in prison. 

As we return to Matthew 9, Matthew offers us another string of miracles by Jesus.  The order is somewhat different than that presented by Mark or Luke, but many of the miracles are the same. Jesus heals the paralytic, for whom He also forgives his sins. He calls Matthew as a disciple raising the ire of the religious leaders.  Jesus heals the woman with the flow of blood, raises a little girl from the dead, heals a couple of blind men, and a man who couldn’t speak.  The power of Jesus is so obvious, and His compassion equally obvious.  As the chapter ends, Jesus points out to His followers the “harvest” is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  He then tells them to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the harvest.  This is such a vital and powerful prayer.  We know the Lord wants everyone to be saved.  We have the role of being workers in the harvest, and we’re called to work in the harvest fields ourselves.  As we’ll see tomorrow, Jesus had told the apostles to prayer for workers, and then virtually immediately, He sent them into the fields to work!

Acts 20 records another amazing miracle Paul performed in Troas. The miracle was the resurrection of Eutychus from the dead. He wasn’t sick but was sitting in an open window as Paul preached. Apparently, the message didn’t hold his attention, so he fell asleep, and then fell out of the window and to the ground below.  He was dead, but Paul brought him back to life in Jesus’ name!  While the remainder of the chapter isn’t nearly as dramatic, it contains Paul’s last encounter with the elders of the Ephesian church.  Paul made it clear to those elders that he had spoken the truth of Jesus in the love of Jesus to the extent that he was “innocent of all men’s blood.”  What does that mean? It’s a reference to the prophet Ezekiel, whom the LORD told was to be the watchmen for a coming invasion.  The LORD told Ezekiel if the enemy came and he cried out to the people, but they didn’t get up, their blood would be on themselves, but if the enemy came and he did not cry out, their blood would be on him.  Paul was saying he had proclaimed the gospel clearly, so if anyone didn’t respond their blood was on themselves.  Paul also noted he had taught them in the marketplace and from house to house.  This is in Acts 20:20, so some have called this Paul’s 20:20 vision: presenting the gospel in large groups (marketplace) and small groups (house-to-house).  Paul also quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” a powerful statement that we don’t find in any of the gospels, so Jesus either spoke it directly to Paul, or one of the apostles told Paul and he spoke it to the Ephesian elders as a reminder.  One final point we must take from Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders: Paul said after he left “wolves” would come in and seek to attack the “sheep.”  The wolves were false teachers, and the sheep were the people.  Paul reminded the elders they were “shepherds” (which is the word from which we take our word pastor), and they must guard the sheep.  If we fast-forward to Revelation 2, we find the Ephesian elders being commended for being faithful in maintaining the purity of the truth but reprimanded for losing their first love.

Acts 21 records Paul’s journey to Jerusalem.  Paul had wanted to go there for Pentecost, but the trip turned out to be filled with turmoil, as the church leaders in Jerusalem realized Paul’s reputation preceded him, and many would not appreciate this “Gentile-loving” leader among them.  We don’t read those words, but we see that the church leaders had Paul take some actions that would show he was a faithful “Jew.”  The plan didn’t work, and Paul was attacked by some Jews, and then arrested by the Romans, because the Jews were beating him.  As the chapter ends Paul is ready to make his defense to the crowds.

Acts 22 records Paul’s defense, which was Paul offering his testimony of his conversion to the crowd.  They listened until Paul told them the LORD had sent Him as an apostle to the Gentiles.  At that point they wanted to kill him.  The Roman soldiers decided to flog him, but Paul pulled the “I’m a Roman” card, and the Roman soldiers backed off.  They kept him in protective custody until the next day, at which time Paul was given the opportunity to go before the Sanhedrin to testify.

Acts 23 records Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling body.  Paul used the strategy of setting the Sanhedrin against itself, because he knew some of them were Pharisees (as he was) and believed in the resurrection, while some where Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection, (which is why they were sad-you-see!) Anyway, Paul said he was on trial because he believed in the resurrection of the dead.  This led to such an intense argument that Paul was in danger of being torn in two.  The Romans took him back to protective custody, and eventually decided to send Paul to Caesarea where he would be examined by the Roman governor.  As Paul slept one night the LORD spoke to him in a vision and told him as he had spoken before the people in Jerusalem, he would speak before the leaders in Rome.

As we return to Matthew 8, Matthew records a number of healing miracles of Jesus.  Jesus healed a leper, a Roman centurion’s servant, many people in Capernaum, including Peter’s mother-in-law, then He calmed a storm, and healed two men who were possessed by demons.  This final account is quite similar to the account of Jesus healing the one man, who was called Legion, in Mark 5.  Most biblical scholars agree this is the same account, but Matthew lists two men and Mark only one.  This seems like a significant detail, but the point of both accounts is the same: Jesus overcame the power of Satan and cast many demons out of a man or men.  This produced the “Kingdom of Heaven” on earth in that moment.  That’s what Jesus came to do: to demonstrate what it’s like when the Kingdom of Heaven is in and among us! 

In Acts 17, Paul and Silas went first to Thessalonica, then to Berea.  Some of the Jews and Gentiles received the message of Jesus, but many didn’t, so Paul and Silas had to leave the city and go to Berea.  We’re told the Bereans were of more noble character, and they examined the Scriptures to see whether what Paul said was true.  This is always the best course to take: examine the claims of Jesus to see whether they are true.  They are!  At the end of the chapter, Paul has some time alone in Athens, while he was waiting for some of the others to come.  He took the time to speak to the philosophers there.  The end result of their dialogue is a few people trusted Jesus.  Paul shows us how to meet people where they are and lead them to Jesus through reasoned conversation.

In Acts 18, we read of Paul’s time in Corinth.  It was a time of building up the church and mentoring individual leaders.  The Lord gave Paul a personal message of encouragement while he was there, letting Paul know he had many people in the city. 

In Acts 19, Paul visits Ephesus.  While in Ephesus, Paul performed many signs and wonders in Jesus’ name.  As a result, seven sons of a Jewish priest decided to cast out demons in Jesus’ name.  One of the men from whom they attempted to cast out a demon “in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches,” responded “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”  At that point he attacked and beat the seven sons severely.  The news of this caused many to respond to the gospel.  As the gospel gained traction in Ephesus, a silversmith realized their business would be impacted greatly if people stopped worshiping idols and started worshiping the invisible God of the universe.  He couched it in religious terms, but convinced the people to riot against the gospel, because of the implicit attack it made on their “gods.”

As we return to Matthew 7, Jesus closes out the Sermon on the Mount.  In this chapter Jesus reminds us how crucial it is to always put Him first.  In a number of different ways, Jesus reminds us when we pray in faith to the Lord, He responds, when we cry out, “Lord, Lord,” we better be following the Lord, and at the end of the day every “tree” is known by its “fruit.”  The end result of Jesus’ message was the people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one with authority, and not as the teachers of religious law.  In every era, the teachings of Jesus carry an authority not found in any other type of speech.  Jesus was and is the Son of the living God.  His words are the word of God.  That means when we speak them in His love, they still compel people.  Of course, anyone can reject their truth and authority, but the truth remains they are the word of God, and when we respond to them appropriately, they change us from the inside out, and advance the cause of God’s Kingdom.

In Acts 14, we read of Paul and Barnabas’ continuing missionary journey.  They went to places such as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.  Wherever they went, the people’s response was divided.  Some believed, while others didn’t.  In Lystra, Paul ministered to a crippled man, who received complete healing.  As a result, the townspeople tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as “gods.”  When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening, they convinced the people to worship Jesus and not them.  But no sooner had they quieted the crowd than folks came from the previous towns where they had ministered and convinced the people to stone Paul.  They took him outside the city and stoned him.  They left thinking he was dead, but after they left Paul got up and moved on to the next town.  The challenge of facing such persecution everywhere they went didn’t stop Paul and Barnabas from carrying out their mission in Jesus’ name.

In Acts 15, we read of the first “council” of Jesus’ followers.  It took place in Jerusalem and focused on the growing division among the believers over whether a Gentile had to become a “Jew” before he or she could become a Christian.  Some believed it necessary to follow all the laws of Jews, before becoming a Christian, but Paul, Barnabas and Peter, to name a few, believed Jesus had freed the Gentiles from such rules.  After much discussion and debate, James, who presided over the meeting made a vital statement, ¹⁹“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.“Acts 15:19 (NIV) What a powerful statement!  With that statement, the early church made it possible for Gentiles to follow Jesus without all the encumbrances of the Jewish law.  After the meeting ended, Paul and Barnabas were ready to head back to the “mission field.”  They had a problem, though.  John Mark wanted to go with them.  Paul said, “No,” because he had deserted them on a previous journey.  Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance.  Finally, the disagreement became so heated that Barnabas took Mark, and Paul took Silas and they went their separate ways.  This shows us that disagreements happened even among the closest of Jesus’ followers.  The end result, though, was the churches were strengthened.

In Acts 16, Timothy joined Paul and Silas, and Paul’s mentoring relationship with Timothy began.  It would eventually become so close, that Paul called Timothy his son.  As the chapter continues, Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia calling him to come and help him, which caused Paul to travel in that direction.  While they were traveling, they came to Philippi, and there Lydia became a convert, because the Lord opened her heart to hear the message.  In addition, Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi.  During the night, while they were singing praises to the Lord, the Lord sent an earthquake, which freed Paul and Silas from their imprisonment.  The jailer, thinking all the prisoners had escaped was about to kill himself, because as a Roman jailer, he would have been responsible to take the punishment for any escaped prisoners.  Paul called out to him not to harm himself, because everyone was there.  The jailer found this to be true.  He took Paul and Silas home and cared for their wounds, and then asked the most important question ever, “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul and Silas led the entire family to the Jesus, and they were all baptized that night!

As we return to Matthew 6, we come to the portion of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught about giving, prayer, fasting, and living a worry-free life, through seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.  This chapter offers us the Lord’s Prayer, as well as Jesus’ admonition not to store up treasures on earth, but in heaven.  He also tells us no one can serve two masters and boils it down to this: you cannot serve both God and money.  Such a reminder is so vital for us who live in an era when many people believe money is the answer to all life’s problems.  The truth is Jesus was, is, and will always be the only answer to all of life’s problems!

In Acts 12, King Herod arrested James and had him put to death.  This pleased the people, so Herod arrested Peter and was going to have him put to death as well.  The night before Herod was to have Peter executed, an angel appeared to Peter and the chains with which he was bound fell off him.  The soldiers with him slept as Peter got dressed and left the prison, whose gates opened as he walked out. When this had all happened, Peter found himself in the street and realized it had all taken place.  He had thought it was a dream.  He returned to the house of John Mark and was welcomed with great rejoicing.

At the close of the chapter, we’re told of King Herod’s death.  The king went to Caesarea to address some matters of dispute and gave a speech which was acclaimed by the people.  They said his voice was that of a god and not a human being.  As a result of his not correcting this error, the LORD struck him dead.  While the account sounds hard to believe, we have seen throughout the Book of Acts that powerful things for good and for harm took place as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work.  When I say powerful things for “harm,” I mean the harm of those who seek to deny God’s presence and power, and the work of His Spirit.  Ananias and Sapphira were examples in Acts 5, and now King Herod is the example in Acts 12.

In Acts 13, we read of Saul (Paul) and Barnabas and several others meeting in Antioch for a time of worship, prayer, and fasting.  In the midst of it, the Holy Spirit selected Saul and Barnabas to go out in mission.  As they travelled, they followed the same strategy wherever they went: they went to the synagogue first and shared the good news there. If, and usually when, it was rejected, they went to the Gentiles.  They faced challenge and persecution from the Jews.  They offered signs, wonders, and the powerful testimony of Jesus’ salvation.  Their work was always challenged, and always fruitful!

As we return to Matthew 5, we return to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  This collection of Jesus’ teaching covers Matthew 5-7, and is the most extensive section of teaching in the four gospels. Jesus offered the beatitudes, the image of His followers being salt and light, a number of teachings that showed His power to add to the Law of Moses, including teachings on murder, lust, divorce, and vows.  He also spoke about the importance of loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. Matthew 5 ends with Jesus’ admonition for us to be “perfect” even as our Father in heaven is “perfect.”  Of course, none of us can fulfill this command apart from the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.  The folks who heard the message as Jesus presented it, must have been overwhelmed at the high expectations He placed on them. Only after He died and rose again from the dead, returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit would any be able to be consistent in fulfilling the teachings presented here.

Acts 9 offers us one of the most amazing accounts in the entire book.  Saul, who had been persecuting the church vehemently, was on the way to Damascus from Jerusalem to arrest Christians there.  While He was on the way, Jesus appeared to Him in a vision.  He asked, “Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting me?”  Saul responded, “Who are you, Lord?”  (Saul’s response shows he knew this was no natural experience!)  Jesus answered, “It is Jesus whom you are persecuting.”  Through the experience Saul became blind.  The folks in his group led him to Damascus.  In Damascus, Ananias, a believer in Jesus, was also visited by God in a vision.  He was told to meet Paul and pray for his healing.  Ananias wasn’t keen on that idea, because Saul’s reputation had preceded him.  Ananias was faithful, and as a result Saul was healed, baptized and started preaching that Jesus is the Christ in the synagogue in Damascus.  Talk about an amazing conversion!  Saul taught in Damascus until the Jews there set their sights on him.  Saul left and wanted to go to the Church leaders in Jerusalem, but they were wary lest Saul was seeking to trick them.  Barnabas, a trusted leader among the believers, vouched for Saul, so the rest accepted him.  As a result of Saul’s conversion, the believers in the region experienced a time of peace.

We also read of Peter carrying out a couple of powerful miracles at the end of Acts 9.  He healed a paralytic named Aeneus and raised a woman named Dorcas from the dead!

As we move to Acts 10, it is Peter’s turn to experience something amazing.  We’re told at the beginning of the chapter a Roman centurion, named Cornelius, who was a devout follower of God was told in a vision to send for Simon called Peter.  He sent messengers to find Peter, and when they did, they asked Peter to come to Cornelius’ house.  Ordinarily, Peter, who was still following the ways of Judaism in addition to following Jesus, would not have obliged the request.  But Peter had also experienced a vision, the same vision, three times. The vision was of “unclean” animals, being dropped down from heaven, and his being told, “Rise, kill and eat.”  Peter argued that he had never eaten an unclean animal, but the LORD told him not to call what He called clean, unclean.  Peter understood the vision to be an affirmation of his call to visit with Cornelius.  He took other Jewish believers with him, and to their amazement, when Peter was preaching to Cornelius, his family and friends they were all baptized in the Holy Spirit.  This caused a ripple through the church that continued to be discussed in Acts 11.  The result of the incident is the believers glorified God for giving the Gentiles the opportunity to receive salvation, too.

Matthew 4 offers us the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan.  This occurred immediately after Jesus’ baptism and His being affirmed by His Heavenly Father.  This reminds us that sometimes after a major victory or blessing in our lives, we are open to temptation.  It seems counterintuitive, because such times seem to be times when we would be stronger than ever.  But at such times we are also susceptible to pride.  Jesus’ victory over Satan came because He remained focus on His Heavenly Father, and He didn’t seek to argue with the devil.  He quoted Scripture in response to each temptation.  This shows us how important it is for us to learn and live God’s word. After passing the temptation test, Jesus started His ministry in Galilee.  He called people to repent because God’s Kingdom is at hand.  He called the first four of the twelve disciples and offered them the opportunity to “fish” for people instead of fish.  He also healed many people, showing us that the evidence of God’s Kingdom being present is our wholeness in body, soul, and spirit.

In Acts 7, Stephen offers his defense before his Jewish accusers by recounting much of Jewish history. They listened to Stephen until he got to the part about Jesus being the Messiah.  Then they stoned Stephen to death.  We’re told as this was taking place, a young man named Saul was watching over their coats and nodding with approval.  This young Saul was soon to have his own encounter with Jesus as we will see tomorrow! 

Acts 8 tells us after Stephen’s death a great persecution broke out against the church.  Much of it was led by Saul.  The good news in the midst of the persecution was it forced the believers to leave Jerusalem.  Phillip went first to Samaria, where he led people to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.  One of the new converts was a “sorcerer” name Simon.  Peter came over from Jerusalem when he heard the news and when they laid hands on the Samaritans, they received the Holy Spirit!  This was big news, because the Samaritans had been considered “half-breeds” by the Jews.  We’re also told Phillip witnessed to an Ethiopian eunuch, who received the good news with great joy, and was baptized immediately.  The Holy Spirit took Phillip away to another place after this. 

As we return to Matthew 3, we read of John the Baptist’s ministry and his baptizing Jesus.  The chapter is short, but it sets the stage for Jesus’ entire ministry.  John’s proclamation was, “Repent! (or turn away from your sins and back to God) The Kingdom of God is at hand.  This would become Jesus’ message as well.  While John and Jesus were radically different in their methods, their message was the same.