Acts 28

“‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’–Acts 28:26-27

Are we any different? Many Christians cite that the Bible is a timeless book. It continues to speak to and be relevant even as it is thousands of years old. Paul is quoting Isaiah here and I can’t help but ask again: are we any different? And I’m not referring to “the world”. I am referring to the church. Sometimes it feels like we try to hard. Sometimes it feels like we are not trying hard enough. But it seems to me that much of the church has gone blind and deaf. We have steered clear of who Christ is and what life is about. There are plenty of examples that probably come to mind. Examples that are outspoken and media gold mines.

But how many of us have looked in our own backyards? Sure, many of us ridicule the strange and warped beliefs of other denominations…but how sick are own churches? The ones we attend. The ones we where we volunteer. The ones that employ us. Even further, how many of us have looked deep into ourselves? Some of us likely do not need to look to far. Yes, we’re all sinners. Yes, we all fail. But how many of us have completely stopped listening…stopped looking. How many of us even know who Jesus is?

If you ever followed my old blog, you likely know I include myself into this. I spent most of my college drifting lazily away from God. I didn’t get involved with your classic college vices, but I never spent time creating a relationship. Little with God and few with others in community. In high school I had wisdom. I preached truth and I feel like I had understanding of plenty of things. I recently found a Bible study I was working on my freshman year of college and am amazed at the wisdom I had back then. I honestly cannot believe I wrote and thought the way I did…in a good way. When did I change so much?

So, as this Advent season comes to an end and we spend time with families watching basketball and football, playing games, eating food, unwrapping presents, and getting ready to go back to our other homes, think about yourself. Think about your relationship with others and more importantly with God. Have you become blind or deaf to the truth? Think about how you approached this Christmas season. During Advent did you take time to reflect on God? To wait?

Be sure to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 27

Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. –Acts 27:21-25, ESV

Paul’s faith is astounding. Everyone around him has lost hope. The winds are strong, the rain is pelting, and the waves are pounding. And Paul has a vision; a vision of hope and of safety. I imagine Paul felt warmth that his fellow passengers (and prisoners) did not. And even better than Paul’s faith is God’s faithfulness. He promised Paul he would preach in Rome. And now when everything looks lost, God promises deliverance yet again.

It’s hard to have faith in the storms of our lives. I know it’s cliché but it’s still true. We feel lost, alone, cold, and without hope. We cannot hear above the winds or see through the darkness. We don’t hear God’s whisper or feel his embrace. But it’s there. It always is. God remains faithful. It’s these times in our lives that many of us go to God. For some of us, it’s the only time. But we still lose focus and hope. We cry out and don’t hear God. If we only go to God in these times, we likely have forgotten what his voice sounds like anyway.

This goes back to trusting God as well. All too often we cry out during these storms, but don’t expect an answer. We don’t trust God will get us through this or believe that he cannot. But we know he is bigger than any storm. He can (and does) give us strength to weather any storm. We just have to have faith. Faith that is so hard to come by, especially if we’re already barely holding on.

We need to have strong faith. We need to trust God. All the time. During clear skies and stormy seas. God is always there. He wants to be involved in our lives. He wants us to go to him. He wants us to trust he is there. He wants us to have faith.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 26

Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? –Acts 26:8, ESV

We often put God to the test. We simply don’t trust that God is…well…God. We find it hard to believe that we are forgiven. For many, the hardest part about becoming a Christian is guilt. Even as proclaimed Christians, many find it hard to talk to others or to see themselves saved because they believe they are not good enough. We limit God’s power in our minds because we listen to the lies of satan. But that is the purpose of grace. We are supposed to stop listening to satan. We are supposed to allow ourselves to be free and here the truth of Christ and be forgiven:

…to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. –Acts 26:18, ESV

The concept of grace is so hard to grasp, though. We know that we don’t deserve this love or this forgiveness. We allow pride to infiltrate our lives and so we look for ways to do it ourselves. But humanity has been trying to do that since the fall. It’s impossible. We need God. We see that so well in our world right now. People are afraid to accept a handout. I know I hate asking for help; I’d rather figure it out and do it myself. And we do that with God all the time. Instead of humbling ourselves, admitting we cannot do it and that we are not good enough, we tell God, “thanks, but no thanks. I’ll figure out a way.”

So we tell God he isn’t good enough. His grace, his gift, his love, his forgiveness is not enough for us. We don’t want it. We don’t need it. But we forget about God’s awesome power. We haven’t forgotten what it’s like to fear God. We limit his power in our minds. We forget that he turned the Nile into blood, defeated massive armies, turned water into wine, healed the sick, forgave sins, and raised the dead…both others and himself. We forget that he created everything. The vastness of the Universe, the thing we stare at in awe, was made into reality by God. He is completely powerful. Even powerful enough to love us and forgive us. Even though we constantly spit in his face, he still desires our hearts and our lives.

So when do we get past all of that? When do we fall on our knees before God, rid ourselves of pride, humble ourselves, and accept God’s goodness? When do we open our eyes and sit with God? We do we turn from satan to God and accept forgiveness? We do we remember God’s power and trust him with our lives? When do we follow him completely? How about right now?

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 25

But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. –Acts 25:26a, ESV

Christianity is a radical belief system. It often goes against the flow. We hear about the ragamuffins, the social reformists, fundamentalists, and others in Christianity who look “weird”. But it’s a religion that still keeps itself inside certain bounds. The original leaders were (nearly) all killed for preaching the name of Jesus or the resurrection. I find it interesting, though, that we see Paul put on trial over and over again but no real charges are brought against him. He is innocent. Like Jesus, Paul is found innocent before the Roman leaders and they do not know how to deal with this situation concerning the Jews and these innocent prisoners.

It’s even more amazing to me that Jesus is the only thing that the Jewish people have against Paul. They can find no other fault among the law. Even as he preaches that we are no longer bound under the law with Christ, he lives his life following the customs he practiced his entire life. In this way, I think Paul sets himself as an example to us and makes it clearer still what he meant when he wrote:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. –1 Corinthians 9:19-23, ESV

Now, Paul says he allowed himself to be one outside the law for those outside the law. I don’t think this means he completely changed his life around. Sure, he may have healed on the sabbath, he may have eaten foods not considered kosher, and he didn’t require new believers to be circumcised. But he lived his life authentically and with as little fault as possible. He lived his life so as not to be condemned, but to show God’s truth, grace, and mercy. He didn’t create false pretenses to lure people to Christ. Instead, he showed them Christ where they were without sacrificing certain convictions.

Can we follow Paul’s example? Can we be all things for all people and still live our lives in a way that others cannot find fault? We are not perfect. I am not making that claim. But what if we opened our lives, shined a light in the dark corners, and repented? What if we allowed God to work in our lives, trust him, and follow him? Would we find it easier to live as Paul lived? To preach as Paul preached? God works wonders with broken vessels.

Check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 24

After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. –Acts 24:24:27, ESV

Paul simply amazes me some days. He simply tells it as it is, not caring about what anybody thinks. Truth is all that matters to him. Teaching and living the message he believes so heartily. Even as he is put on trial (or even earlier in jail) he continues to live in a very different light than many of us do today. His accusers instantly begin buttering up the governor. Paul, instead of resorting to flattery to maybe soften his judgement or win over the governor, simply tells the truth. When Felix arrives, he again just speaks truth. Felix keeps in jail for over two years hoping Paul will bribe him.

This is faith. This is trust. Paul knows that God has things taken care of. The only thing he has been asked to do is to preach and live in the truth that has been made known to him. When he is arrested, he trusts God will move him out of it. When he is beaten, he keeps preaching. He never gives up on God. Never questions him. Never takes things into his own hands. Paul simply follows God wherever he leads him. If he dies, then he knows his ministry has come to an end. If he is alive, Paul knows he must continue to preach and live truthfully.

What if we were just frank with each other? What if we lived our lives in the truth we believe and preach? What if we fully trusted God with our lives, our actions, and our words? Trust has been on my heart. We lose trust easily. We take things into our own hands. How many of us would have tried to find a way out of this situation? Match Tertullus’s words and begin flattering the governor. Flatter or bribe Felix. Imagine what kind of opportunity Paul did NOT miss by conversing with Felix every day. And since he was allowed visitors, think about how he was indirectly affecting people.

Live your lives truthfully. Trust God fully.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 23

I have been pouring over this chapter for over a day and nothing is popping out at me. I recognize that Paul is very clever and has found a way to preserve himself a little longer. I also recognize that Paul has been faithful and that God tells him that his mission is not over and through that Paul can take confidence that God will provide a way to keep him safe. But none of this has opened up anything that my fingers will type. This will be a chapter I continue to look at for a while, but maybe there just is not anything there for me at this time. I will have the next chapter up later today.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 22

And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ –Acts 22:14-16, ESV

We are all called by God. Not all of us get to hear his voice, but all are called to be his witnesses. We simply must wash away our sins and call upon his name. Yet again, the name is so important. But that name means nothing without faith. Because without faith, what do the call do for us? Nothing. If we do not truly believe who God is and what he’s done in our lives and the lives of others, we will refuse to be witnesses. We will refuse to tell everyone all we’ve seen and heard. The name will mean nothing for us. Hear God’s will for your life. Believe it. Act on it. Follow through no matter what it is. Why do you wait? Wash away your sins and call on his name.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 21

When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” –Acts 21:12-14, ESV

Paul’s faith and willingness is absolutely amazing. He is willing to do whatever it takes to do the calling he has received. No matter where it takes him, no matter what may happen, and no matter how much others plead for him, he cares more about what God thinks and sees than others. I’m not sure that’s true either. I don’t think he even thinks about what God thinks. Instead, he simply follows and obeys God. His motivation is not to be seen, but to do. He follows God and it’s as simple as that. He wants to do the mission set before him.

Not many of us can do what Paul is doing. He knows that his death is inevitable. He knows that he will likely be beaten and imprisoned anywhere he goes. Yet, he continues on. Most of us are afraid to move to another state if that is where God is leading us or to change our job or to simple trust in God. We have grown into a people that has to have things planned out. If we don’t know what we want to be when we’re in jr. high, then something must be wrong. Don’t even count after graduating college…

We are afraid to surrender our whole lives to God. We often asks what this really means instead of just accepting the obvious. Everything. That is what our whole lives mean. God never said he wanted “everything but”. He wants all of us. Most of us are afraid to get out of our comfort zones and just know God will send us to some obscure village in some foreign country. We don’t want to do that. Sometimes God simply tells us to pack up and move or switch jobs. But we quickly worry about our financial security.

I think how we respond to God’s call on our lives is important. Yet again, another essay I’m working on so I’m keeping this brief. We look around our world and see heartbreak and pain and death. We all have ideas on how to fix this. More social justice, less war, peace, communication, goats, wells, money…the list goes on.

What if we simply let go of all of these ideas and started from scratch? What if we instead sat back, prayed, listened, and followed what God has planned for our lives? Maybe our world is in continual disarray (and so often heard the worst it’s ever been) simply because we still are not trusting and following God. After all, paradise was lost for us simple because we stopped trusting God and listening to what he said. So why do we think we can just create fixes and build our towers to heaven?

I’m not saying the things listed above are not on God’s heart or in God’s plan for us (at least some of us), but I feel that few of us actually enter into those things with prayerful consideration. Not all of us are called to be missionaries or pastors or teachers or firefighters. An eye cannot say I want to be an ear. Instead of searching out what we want, how we think this world needs to change, what we think can fix this world, let’s give it up to God. Lets give our lives to God. Instead of pressuring others into our calling, let’s pray with them and discern with them.

Let us give our lives, our whole lives, everything we are and have to God. Let’s pray and listen and follow God…wherever he leads. Let us not care about what people think. Let us not care about what God thinks. Instead, let us just trust and follow and do what God has planned.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 20

And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. –Acts 20:11

In a world where we are always complaining we do not get enough sleep, it is almost refreshing to see that Paul was willing to stay up conversing with these people. Whether he was preaching the entire time, I do not know, but I am sure he spent time investing in these people’s lives. Sure, I’m sure that some Gospel came through, I’m sure that some philosophical questions were asked and pondered, but I’m also sure they just talked about life. Despite having a long trip ahead of him, Paul continued to talk to these people…all the way to day break. And even then he didn’t sleep, he just continued on his journey.

I’m not saying sleep is not important, but how much time do we lose with each other when we refuse to stay up even another hour. Many of us are so invested into our sleep schedules that we refuse to invest into each other. And in my experience, when the moment is there, when the words are there, when the fellowship is there, you should take. All to often, I’ve found, when I wake up those words I had postponed are now gone.The time with that person or those people is gone.

Last year, I would stay up at least once every couple of weeks late into the night with one of my roommates. We would sit in the kitchen with the light above the oven on talking about anything and everything. They were truly wonderful talks. We even joked (though he will now say he was not joking at all) that we should publish our talks into a book. We disagreed on many points, but the conversation was what mattered. The fellowship was what mattered.

Take time to invest into each others lives. Don’t let your schedules get in the way. One of the big ideas of the Gospel is community. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to connect with another person.

Don’t forget to check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!

Acts 19

Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” –Acts 19:13-15

This story is almost more scary than it is comforting to me. Growing up, and even now, we teach the idea that only God knows our hearts. He knows what we think and feel and know. Demons, spirits, Satan, or whatever do not. They cannot. But here is a story the spirit know intentions. They understand that these men do not actually believe in what they are saying. It concerns me less for myself, because I know I have faith in what I believe. I believe I would be “recognized”. I’m concerned for others.

Whether you believe it or not, whether you think demons exist or not, it is dangerous to play with things that have the potential to cause a lot of harm. It’s dangerous to test this “other-world”, the spirit world. We should never provoke that which is against us. It does nothing but lead an attack on us. And what if we aren’t right? What if we are not recognized? These men were overpowered. It turned worse for them than they imagined.

But one other thing has caught my attention. The name of Jesus is simply not enough. Genuine faith is also required. How other beings know that about us is beyond me, but faith in Jesus is key. Belief is nothing. As James says, even the demons believe and shudder at his name. But honest faith in who Jesus is and what he is and can and will do in your life is key. After all, after each healing of Jesus and many by Peter early in Acts, they tell the people it was their faith that healed them. The name it seems, is not enough. Not irrelevant, but not enough.

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you trust him? Enough to give him your life entirely? Enough to be recognized as his?

Check out Alxndr’s Illustrated Advent!