Thursday 6/1: Acts 20
David Jeremiah points out nine traits of a great and godly leader in Acts 20's description of of Paul and his missionary work:
"Have a heart for ministry (20:1,2).
Have a Spirit of tenacity (20:3-6).
Are filled with energy (20:7-13).
Live lives of integrity (20:16).
Are marked by humility (20:18-20).
Speak honestly (20:26-31).
Are men under authority (20:31,32).
Are given to generosity (20:33-35).
Are followed passionately (20:36-38).
🤭I'll add the ability to preach someone to death (20:7-9) ...and in Paul's unique case, the ability to raise the dead (20:10)!
See you tomorrow at Acts 21.
"Have a heart for ministry (20:1,2).
Have a Spirit of tenacity (20:3-6).
Are filled with energy (20:7-13).
Live lives of integrity (20:16).
Are marked by humility (20:18-20).
Speak honestly (20:26-31).
Are men under authority (20:31,32).
Are given to generosity (20:33-35).
Are followed passionately (20:36-38).
🤭I'll add the ability to preach someone to death (20:7-9) ...and in Paul's unique case, the ability to raise the dead (20:10)!
See you tomorrow at Acts 21.
Friday 6/2: Acts 21
Acts 21. Knowing full well what awaited him at Jerusalem (from the repeated witness of the Spirit), Paul would not be deterred from going there where he would have been killed by the mob had the Roman guards not intervened, saving him, in chains, to deliver his defense in chapter 22. What's ironic about all this, is that Paul had gone way "above and beyond" to disprove the lies told about him and his ministry and to make amends with those opposing him, but it wasn't enough to satisfy their legalistic "bloodlust." Paul did all in his power to make amends, and for his trouble, got beaten so severely he couldn't climb the stairs without help...but Paul would not be sidetracked or silenced, as we'll see in Acts 22 on Monday...
Monday 6/5: Acts 22
Good Monday morning Christ Followers! In Acts 22 Paul not only shows his straight and strong backbone as he stands accused and arrested but still boldly proclaiming Jesus, but also his savvy sense when dealing with his opponents, distracting and disarming their anger in order to tell them of his Savior! He spoke Greek to the Romans to get their attention and gain the opportunity to speak Hebrew to the Jews to catch their attention and gain the opportunity to share with them his testimony..."who I was, Who I met, who I am now!" Not just in their own languages did he speak to his audiences, but from within their culture.. he "connected" with them and they with him as he spoke of people and issues they knew. Wow, what a model for us as we go about our lives making disciples!
See you tomorrow at Acts 23.
See you tomorrow at Acts 23.
Tuesday 6/6: Acts 23
In Acts 23 Paul stands at an impasse with those who stand against him and the Gospel he preached....both "sides" are equally convinced they are "right" and fully passionate of their convictions...but they are diametrically opposed, unavoidably "at odds" with one another's position...sound familiar? But here's the difference... Paul is "on the Lord's side!" Truth IS NOT relative....fact IS NOT a social or psychological construct...truth is truth, fact is fact, God is the Creator and so the Fact Former and Truth Founder...put yourself "on the Lord's side," and you are on the "right side!" Paul had his "Damascus Road Meeting" with Christ, the Son of the Living God... Paul had the Holy Spirit moving and "acting" in miraculous and open and visible methods...you and I have that same Spirit working in and through us, just as miraculous if not as visible...you and I have the completed, infallible, powerful, living Word of God...Paul met the Word "in the flesh" (check out 23:11!), we meet the Word IN His Word....the Word of God, the Bible! Know your Creator, know your Savior, know your Energizing Spirit, know your Bible, and stand!...stand for the Father, stand for His Son, stand for His Spirit, 3-in-One, and stand for Right...stand in the easy day, stand in the hard day, but stand in the Truth, which IS God's Word and Way and Will for your life!
See you tomorrow at Acts 24.
See you tomorrow at Acts 24.
Wednesday 5/7: Acts 24
Acts, chapter 24, shows again that standing for "right" in this "wrong" world will get you in "hot water"...standing for the Creator of "Right," the God of the Universe, will have the enemies of God "going the extra mile" to persecute and prosecute you in hopes of shutting you up and sitting you down! Paul's response to everything they could throw at him, was to use rational logic concerning their "charges" against him, and boldly speaking of Christ and His Salvation at every and all opportunities ..he never allowed his surrounding circumstances to distract him from the main objective...telling others about his Jesus!
Acts 25 tomorrow.
Acts 25 tomorrow.
Thursday 6/8: Acts 25
The Resurrection of Jesus was the topic that kept getting Paul in trouble! In Acts 25, Paul again tells his story and gives his own defense against his Jewish accusers during his continued imprisonment. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, just not the resurrection of Jesus, lol, because then, like now, to believe that Jesus actually came back to life after being dead means that He was more than just a man...He was and is indeed the Messiah, the Christ they were waiting for, and if Jesus was and is God in the flesh, then all must answer to Him! Obviously, the proper response is to humble ourselves before Him, proclaiming Him as God and King and claiming Him as Lord and Savior...but so many, then as now, rebelled against the God of the Universe and His RESURRECTED Son, Jesus the Christ! EVERYTHING hinges on His resurrection....either Jesus was just another dead Jew when they took him off the cross, or in His resurrection He proved that He is Lord and God! If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then we follow a mere man...because He came BACK to life after giving His life for us, we serve and follow the One Living God!
🎶"I serve THE risen Savior, He's in the world today, I know that He is living whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He's always near! He Lives! He Lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He Lives! He Lives! Salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He Lives within my heart!"
See you tomorrow at Acts 26.
🎶"I serve THE risen Savior, He's in the world today, I know that He is living whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He's always near! He Lives! He Lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way. He Lives! He Lives! Salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He Lives within my heart!"
See you tomorrow at Acts 26.
Friday 6/9: Acts 26
Within just a few chapters we hear two excuses to surrendering to Christ...Felix in Acts 24 proclaimed , "at a MORE convenient time" I'll make a decision, and then here, in Acts 26, Agrippa replies to Paul's witness, "You ALMOST persuade me to become a Christian." From God's standpoint, all of humanity are sinners (see Romans 3:23), and we're divided into TWO types of sinners: saved sinners and lost sinners...those sinners who repent and surrender to Christ are saved and therefore become "Saints of God," while those sinners who refuse Christ continue to be lost in their sins and remain enemies of God...they "ain't Saints"...the "Ain'ts" The "Saints" and the "Ain'ts" make up all of humanity throughout all of history. What we do with Christ Jesus determines whether we're a "Saint" or a "Ain't" and is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT issue we will ever face! "Convenience" and "almost" have NO place in our decision to follow Christ... it's never convenient to face our sin and repent, and almost saved isn't saved at all! Paul knew this and pressed his listeners to a decision of surrender to Christ, "I would to God (greatly desire that God would grant) that not only you, but all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am (a "Saint" saved by faith in the Risen Christ)!"
See you Monday at ACT 27.
See you Monday at ACT 27.
Monday 6/12: Acts 27
Because of the promise of the Lord to Paul in Acts 23:11, Paul knew the outcome of his journey in Acts 27! We should simply and completely take our Lord at His Word...not easy, maybe, but necessary to live the life of obedience we're called to!
Wrap up Acts tomorrow with chapter 28.
Wrap up Acts tomorrow with chapter 28.
Tuesday 6/13: Acts 28
Paul's words of personal peace in God's program in Philippians 4 ("Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.") are proven in Paul's commitment in sharing Christ in Acts 28... especially noteworthy are verses 30&31, as Paul spends a total of four years or so in prison and traveling to prison, celebrating the opportunities his circumstances give him to share the Gospel of his Risen Lord!
"That's a wrap!" We've completed the 28 "scenes" from the "Acts of the Holy Spirit IN & THROUGH the Apostles," and will meet tomorrow at Romans 1.
"That's a wrap!" We've completed the 28 "scenes" from the "Acts of the Holy Spirit IN & THROUGH the Apostles," and will meet tomorrow at Romans 1.
Wednesday 6/14: Romans 1
Romans 1, "The just shall live by faith" (v17). Romans is the book that teaches us how to be "right" with God, how to be "right" with ourselves, and how to be "right" with others...the "right" shall live by faith! We are "right" when we live in and through the "righteousness" of God by faith in Christ Jesus! Romans is very clear that God IS absolute "rightness" and expects "rightness" from us, His creation...to the extent that His wrath will ultimately fall upon those who fail to be "right" through rejecting God's Law and God's Son! Romans 1 begins with an introduction of Paul and infinitely more importantly, a description of the True Gospel of Christ Jesus which Paul is obsessed with spreading through the known world!...the "uttermost" of Acts 1:8, and the chapter ends with the resulting wrath of God upon those who rebel against His Word and His Will and His Way as humanity has "naturally" and continually and rebelliously done since Eve and Adam sinned in the garden of Eden!
See you tomorrow at Romans 2.
See you tomorrow at Romans 2.
Thursday 6/15: Romans 2
Romans 2 reminds us that we MUST REALIZE our High and Holy God's high standards for us, and RECOGNIZE the depth of our own personal sinfulness...Paul says that those who point at the wickedness of others but ignore their own sin condition are "treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God." But remember... God's judgement is RIGHT and RIGHTEOUS, therefore, those who believe the Truth, those who surrender their will to God and secure their faith in His Christ will be deemed righteous through the righteousness of Christ imparted to them! Woohoo and Praise God, He has made a way for sinful women and men to escape God's Righteous Wrath...by faith in Jesus God's own Son!
Romans 3 tomorrow.
Romans 3 tomorrow.
Friday 6/16: Romans 3
In Romans 3:23 we hear these familiar words: "For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!" This follows on the heels of: "but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." Every person does what we naturally and characteristically do...sin...whether self-righteously (like the Jews) or unrighteously (like the Gentiles) as Paul shares, outside of faith in Christ and the regeneration of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, we all are hopelessly and helplessly lost sinners. But then verse 24 tells of the possibility of our "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent forth as a propitiation (to be appeased and made favorable) by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (24-26).
Faith in Jesus! "Thank You Heavenly Father for sending Your Son and for giving us the faith to believe...thank You Lord Jesus for making possible our redemption...thank You Holy Spirit for drawing us to Jesus our Savior!"
See you Monday at Romans 4.
Faith in Jesus! "Thank You Heavenly Father for sending Your Son and for giving us the faith to believe...thank You Lord Jesus for making possible our redemption...thank You Holy Spirit for drawing us to Jesus our Savior!"
See you Monday at Romans 4.
Monday 6/19: Romans 4
Romans 4 states and restates that justification is of grace alone...those who live well and work right are not saved by their own activities but by God's activities, while those who have sinned are not rejected because of their sin, but saved by God's forgiveness of sin...we are represented by both Abraham and David, whom were both saved by grace alone by faith alone in God's provision alone! We, living on the other side of Jesus' Cross & Empty Tomb, know personally God's provision to justify and redeem us....our personal Savior, Jesus, the "Christ, the Son of the Living God!"
See you tomorrow at Romans 5.
See you tomorrow at Romans 5.
Tuesday 6/20: Romans 5
Romans begins with the wickedness and lostness of humanity (ch 1-3), then moves into the announcement of the possibility of our being justified by God's Grace through Faith in chapter 4, and here in Romans 5, the possibility of redemption continues with the simultaneous introduction of both the Source of our justification and the Object of our faith...Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Lamb that was slain, the Resurrected Lord! "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." Woohoo and Praise God!
See you tomorrow at Romans 6.
See you tomorrow at Romans 6.
Wednesday 6/21: Romans 6
"Do you not know?" (6:3,6:16,7:1) If we could simply "get a grip" on what Romans 6 is teaching, it would revolutionize our daily practical Christian walk! Chapters 1-5 teach about our being justified, a past work of Christ and current, ongoing condition for us, while Romans 6 begins an "unpacking if a present and on going work of Christ in us... sanctification...or our being in practice who we now are in position...living up to the name of our Savior! Justification is the work of God IN us while sanctification is the work of God THROUGH us...God has DECLARED those who believe righteous in Christ, and God is presently working in and through Christ followers, through His Spirit, that we might LIVE righteously! "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 7 for tomorrow.
Romans 7 for tomorrow.
Thursday 6/22: Romans 7
Romans 7 continues the BIG "sanctification stuff" The Holy Spirit began in chapter 6! While justification is ALL God, the living out our condition of being justified (sanctification) takes some effort on our part...according to Paul, here, it's impossibly hard work...entirely impossible outside the Power and Presence of Christ in our lives! The law defines, reveals, and illuminates our sin, but can do NOTHING to remove it...only our position (and thus the power) of being "married" to Christ by grace through faith gains us victory over our "carnal" (standard Christ follower condition of being saved but still battling sin) nature! We can cry out with Paul, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Then, we can celebrate with him as well, "I thank God--(it's) through Jesus Christ our Lord (that I am delivered)!"
We'll wrap up this week and week 25 of our "God's Word for Me in 2023" with Romans 8!
We'll wrap up this week and week 25 of our "God's Word for Me in 2023" with Romans 8!
Friday 6/23: Romans 8
Wow! Just...WOW! "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1 is not saying that WHEN we "walk according to the Spirit," THEN there is no condemnation... but rather, BECAUSE we "walk according to the spirit," that is, the Spirit of God lives within us because we are now "IN Christ Jesus " through our faith in His saving power, BECAUSE we belong to God "IN Christ" we are no longer living under the condemnation of God for our sins, because our sin was judged at the Cross of Calvary 2,000 years ago! It's not at all about what I CAN or SHOULD do, it's all about what Christ has ALREADY DONE in us and for us! Praise be to our High and Holy God and Savior! Romans 8 covers SO much territory as it wraps up with a reminder that the important thing is not my love for Christ, but His love for me (35-39)!
See you Monday at Romans 9.
See you Monday at Romans 9.
Monday 6/26: Romans 9
Lots of folks have trouble with Romans 9:13... God is God and He can love or hate anyone He wants, but this "hatred" of Esau is not really the point, and it's actually not literal "hate" but a Hebrew expression meaning "less preferred." The point is not that God didn't choose Esau, but that He chose Jacob for special blessing...and as verse 1 clearly states, this "choosing" was founded 100% in God's sovereignty, and exactly 0% in Jacob's character, actions, choices or decisions! That's the point of the passage.. that it's ALL of God! How do I logically reconcile THIS clear Bible teaching with all the clear "whosoever will" passages teaching that I we have a choice to make concerning God, and that we MUST choose? I don't even try to reconcile the two seemingly opposing teachings. I KNOW God is true and fair...I KNOW His Word teaches both as equally true...so I figure it's a God thing and way above my "pay grade" and "responsibility level!" God is in control, not me😊! I trust God to be the God I know He is...and that's enough! Someone complained once to Charles Spurgeon about the Romans 9:13 passage to which he replied, "That (how God could 'hate' Esau) is not my difficulty, Madam. My trouble is to understand how He could love Jacob." Amen!
See you tomorrow at Romans 10
See you tomorrow at Romans 10
Tuesday 6/27: Romans 10
Romans 10 teaches the sufficiency of Jesus' death and resurrection to accomplish salvation for any and all who will believe on Him (9-13), that the Father sends out the Good News for all to hear (14&15), but ONLY those who hear and BELIEVE will be saved, while those who "hear" and reject will be lost (16-21)! Whether called as Gospel Preachers/ Pastors, or not, we're ALL called to "bring glad tidings of good things," namely, to witness of the Good News that "Christ Jesus saves sinners" to all we meet as we live out our lives day by day year by year!
Wednesday 6/28: Romans 11
Years ago, when I was "visiting" various local churches on Wednesdays, hoping to get invited to preach on Sunday (lol), I had a conversation with a pastor that went something like this:
Pastor: I guess you've wondered why I've never asked you to preach...I think we might have different ideas about the "end times."
Me: Maybe... I wouldn't preach "end times" anyway, but if by "different ideas" you mean that God is done with Israel, then yeah, we probably do...if God's done with Israel and the church has "replaced" her, what do you do with Romans 11?
That's still a valid question...I don't KNOW all the details of how things will play out, nor will I argue with anyone about it cause I figure God's gonna do what He wants regardless of what any of us "thinks" about it, but the question remains..."if Israel is 'all washed up' and God has written her off, then what do we do with Romans 11?" And...if God breaks His promises to Israel (Gen 13:14-15, Gen 28:13, Psa 89:30-37), how can we trust Him to keep His promises to us?
Some things that make you go "hmm"...
See you tomorrow at Romans 12.
Pastor: I guess you've wondered why I've never asked you to preach...I think we might have different ideas about the "end times."
Me: Maybe... I wouldn't preach "end times" anyway, but if by "different ideas" you mean that God is done with Israel, then yeah, we probably do...if God's done with Israel and the church has "replaced" her, what do you do with Romans 11?
That's still a valid question...I don't KNOW all the details of how things will play out, nor will I argue with anyone about it cause I figure God's gonna do what He wants regardless of what any of us "thinks" about it, but the question remains..."if Israel is 'all washed up' and God has written her off, then what do we do with Romans 11?" And...if God breaks His promises to Israel (Gen 13:14-15, Gen 28:13, Psa 89:30-37), how can we trust Him to keep His promises to us?
Some things that make you go "hmm"...
See you tomorrow at Romans 12.
Thursday 6/29: Romans 12
🎶"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."
For a child of God it's really a really big light...in fact, it's The Light Himself ..Jesus, shining IN us and THROUGH us! Romans 12 gives us some practical "practices" to help "our light" shine biggly and brightly in this dark and broken world!
See you tomorrow at Romans 13.
For a child of God it's really a really big light...in fact, it's The Light Himself ..Jesus, shining IN us and THROUGH us! Romans 12 gives us some practical "practices" to help "our light" shine biggly and brightly in this dark and broken world!
See you tomorrow at Romans 13.
Friday 6/30: Romans 13
Whether the loud, obnoxious, irritating "AAANNNKKK, AAANNNKKK" or the soft sweet sound of melodious music, we all have been awakened by an alarm clock...Romans 13:11-14 is God's "alarm clock!" Wake up! Wake up to the world's "works of darkness" and "cast (them) off!" Wake up to society's revelry, and drunkenness, and lewdness, and strife, and envy! Satan, society, and "self" "lullaby" us into slumber and sleep..."WAKE UP!" says our High and Holy God..."WAKE UP and 'put on the armor of light'...WAKE UP and 'put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for (your) flesh'...WAKE UP!"
See you Monday at Romans 14
See you Monday at Romans 14
