Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“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.’” – Acts 21:13

Truly following Jesus is never easy, but what about when you know that genuinely hard times lie ahead of you? Will you follow then?

Paul gives us an incredible example and perspective. As he traveled to Jerusalem, he knew that something difficult lay ahead – prison and possibly death. His Christian friends wept and begged him not to go. Many of us would likely feel the same way. However, Paul understood the infinitely bigger eternal perspective. He understood that his disciple making, gospel proclaiming work lay before him and passed through fire. So he was willing and committed to moving forward into that fire.

Paul understood that God’s glory and the greater good of His kingdom lay in his journey to Jerusalem. Though Paul didn’t know the details or the outcome, he knew that the vital work of seeking and saving the lost for Jesus required him to keep going into that uncertain and difficult future. So he went. He took up his cross, denied himself, and followed Jesus.

Because Paul did, he had the opportunity to preach to high officials and share the gospel with countless people from Jerusalem to Rome itself. Quite often the glorious work of God lies not in avoiding persecution, struggle, or suffering, but in faithfully stepping into those things with hearts prepared to give everything for the Savior Who gave everything for us!

“And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” – Acts 20:30

Life in church was never expected to be simple, neat, or easy! As Paul gives final instructions to the Ephesian elders/pastors/overseers (same group of people, Acts 20 uses all three words to describe them), he warns that the greatest challenges and hazards in the church often come from within. As Christians, we must each become competent to read and understand Scripture.

Why? To resist those who would lead us astray! Within any church (and today any public platform – teaching, publishing, media, online, etc.) there may well arise people from within the church who twist God’s Word and lead many followers of Christ astray. It was true then and it’s visibly true now.

Christian leaders should prepare followers of Jesus to know the truth and to distinguish between God’s Word and evil distortions of it. Such preparation includes encouraging members to read the Bible for themselves, modeling responsible use of the Bible, and explicitly teaching how to read, study, and interpret the Bible.

Twisted distortions of Scripture may come through taking individual verses out of context (common with cults), through discouraging members from studying the Bible for themselves, or through the use of complex words and concepts combined with elaborate contortions of Scripture to explain how the meaning is somehow completely different from the plain reading. Paul knew it would happen and it continues to happen. Church leaders and members alike must be prepared and on guard at all times, especially in these times in which false teaching easily finds a loud megaphone in our culture and our churches!

“All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.” – Proverbs 16:2

We have a remarkable ability to rationalize just about anything to ourselves! Once we have a notion of what we want to do, our self-convincing engine gets to work and we can construct elaborate explanations about why it’s right to do the very thing we want to do. Even when it’s objectively wrong and directly contradictory to Scripture! However, that’s the tip of the iceberg. Often we construct explanations for seemingly godly activities that are really being done for our own purposes. Contrary to the preaching of Disney, our hearts are terribly deceitful, most of all to ourselves (see Jeremiah 17:9 for more details).

God sees through all that! He doesn’t fall for our rationalizations, excuses, false comparisons, and contorted logic. He knows exactly why we want to do the thing we may spend minutes, hours, days, or years defending. He knows if we’re acting out of anger, pride, greed, ambition, or other ungodly motives. Understand this, God is vastly more concerned with the motives behind your actions than your defense of those actions (see Matthew 5-7 for more details).

The people of God cannot accomplish the work of God from sinful motives. The most pious sounding action driven by anger won’t yield God-glorifying results. Likewise for greed, ambition, pride, or any of the other ungodly motives that sometimes drive seemingly godly activity.

Whenever you prepare to speak or act, take time to reflect on why. Rather than continuing to rehearse your rationalization to yourself, always stop to reflect on your motives. Why are you doing what you are doing? Is it truly to advance God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory? Or is this something you’re doing for yourself?

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

What an encouragement it must have been for Paul to receive a direct vision and promise from Jesus as he preached and taught in Corinth! Because of this word of confidence, he was able to work there boldly and confidently for 18 months.

This promise from Jesus should also be encouraging for each of us who follow Him. While Jesus hasn’t promised we’ll be safe, He has already promised that He is with us. Matthew 28:18-20 makes it clear that when we are doing His work of making disciples, Jesus is right there with us every moment of every day. Jesus will not abandon us to a hostile world, but will be strengthening us to be bold and courageous. What more do we need? What more could we ask for?

Jesus will be with us every moment until He returns in glory. Believe this for yourself. Jesus is with you. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Jesus will give you the power and boldness to make disciples wherever you go. Obey Him and “do not be afraid”!

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

As we see so often in Acts, the first act of obedience for those who believe in Jesus is to be baptized. While not required for salvation, it is consistently assumed of all believers in the Bible. Baptism is meant to be our immediate public confession of our new faith in Jesus. As we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we tell the world that we have been united with Him through faith.

While we must be as sure as we can be that people genuinely believe in Jesus before being baptized, we shouldn’t expect or require them to be deeply knowledgeable, discipled extensively, or theologically sophisticated. We shouldn’t be putting up barriers to baptism! Baptism represents the beginning of our faith journey, an initial step of obedience and visible announcement of our new birth.

Likewise, baptism shouldn’t be where we stop, freezing in place as a Christian. We aren’t done yet, in fact, we’ve barely begun! Baptism should be the first step of many. After baptism, we must be teaching and mentoring new believers in how to walk in faith and grow in Christ throughout the remainder of their lives.

If you haven’t yet been baptized as a believer, what’s holding you back? If you have been, what are you doing now to continue growing in Christ?