Acts 22 - 01.26.23

SCRIPTURE: Acts 22: 6-8 TPT

As I was on the road approaching Damascus, about noon, a brilliant heavenly light suddenly appeared, flashing all around me. As I fell to the ground I heard a voice say, ‘Saul, Saul . . . why are you persecuting me?’ “I answered, ‘Who are you, my Lord?’

“He said to me, ‘I AM Jesus, the [ Nazarene] Victorious. I AM the ONE you are persecuting.’”

OBSERVATION:

Paul had returned to Jerusalem [knowing trouble awaited him 21:13] and gave a beautifully detailed report of ALL God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. The Jerusalem Church rejoiced and praised God. However, it was also shared with Paul that some rumors were circulating that he had been teaching Jewish Believers to disregard the Law of Moses and circumcision. To squash these false accusations a simple plan was recommended which Paul agreed to. Only the well intentioned plan went very very south. When Paul entered the Temple a few people misunderstood what they ‘thought they saw’ and incited an entire mob into a riot resulting in Paul’s near death and subsequent arrest.

UNDERSTANDING:

God’s Plans Prevail

What was the purpose of all this? Paul had been told that Trouble awaited him in Jerusalem—and Paul said he was ready to die if that was God’s plan. But, in fact—much more ministry awaited Paul—but God only revealed one part of each step at a time.

The commander allowed Paul to speak to the crowd in the arena hoping for clarification. What happened—

Paul shared his testimony. All of it—with Courage and Conviction in front of the mob that would then shout, “kill him”.

BUT…

it was part of God’s Plan that Paul would witness again AND again—AND to people he could never have met—had he not been wrongly arrested that day. Passionate Paul eventually went all the way to Rome to share his testimony.

LIFE APPLICATION:

Trusting God for the GREATER..

My takeaway…I’m trying to figure out how I express this. What I want to glean is that a simple plan was devised to help Paul mesh with the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who were under a misunderstanding about what Paul was teaching. In order to bring Peace and Unity—Paul agrees to this simple plan—that—Backfires!….or does it???

Paul ends up arrested. This is not the end-or death-however. This is the BEGINNING—God is using Paul in a new way to deliver his testimony to people in very high places! Paul gives his testimony to King Herod Agrippa (Acts 26) and then Paul is sent to Rome.

LORD Jesus,

I pray to Trust you in ALL things no matter how the circumstances look. Your ways are higher and thoughts are far beyond anything I can possibly imagine. May I CLING to you—and like Paul—be prepared—always—to give a reason for the hope I have IN You—Knowing your Plans are Greater…and beyond anything I can dare hope or imagine. My life is yours. amen.

“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore Him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong.” (Proverbs 3:5-7 TPT)

Tina L Kudelka

Proverbs 15 - 1.25.23

Scripture

Proverbs 15:33 

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.

Observation-What does it say?

King Solomon shares his wisdom in the book of Proverbs. In this verse, he shares where his wisdom originates from.

Understanding-What does it mean?

Wisdom starts with respecting the Lord.

Solomon knows a thing or two about wisdom. If you have also been following along in the book of Ecclesiastes (which point to the author as King Solomon-David’s son, as well), he was the wisest King who had ever lived!

1 Kings 4:29-34 describes Solomon’s wisdom like this:

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”

With all the wisdom King Solomon had, he states 2 things about it in this verse: (1) Fear the Lord.  (2) Stay humble.

Life Application

Want to be wise? Fear the Lord and stay humble.

One of my favorite Scriptures growing up was, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

A popular prayer of many Christians (that I have prayed as well) is, “Lord, please give me Your wisdom.” However, the first step in obtaining that is through respecting Him, obeying Him and staying humble to what He wants us to do, not what we want.

Dear Lord, King Solomon has taught me that the pursuits of this world is meaningless. He has also taught me where true wisdom originated from and it’s not from having the most training or the highest degree or getting a bunch of knowledge from self help books. It’s through fearing and respecting You! I pray that my life would display reverence to You alone and humility of heart to move where You lead, not where I want to go. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

Acts 20 - 1.24.23

SCRIPTURE:  Acts 20:36 - 38  "After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.  There was a great deal of weeping by everyone.  They embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving most of all over his statements that they would never see his face again.  Then they escorted him to the ship."

OBSERVATION:  There is no doubt that Paul loved his brothers and sisters in Christ.  He cared for them, prayed with them, comforted them, encouraged them, cried over their needs, and rejoiced with them. The entire time he was with them in the province of Asia, he had served the Lord with humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of his Jewish opponents.  He never hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to them as he taught them publicly and from house to house.  When it was time for Paul to move on and head for Jerusalem as he followed the lead of the Holy Spirit, he told the Ephesian elders that his only aim was to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus had given him - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. 

UNDERSTANDING:  As Paul prepared to set sail, he knew they would never see his face again.  He had poured his heart and soul into their lives.  He left them with powerful words that the Lord Jesus had given him, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."  All that Paul had learned from the Lord was passed down to the leaders and elders of the church.  Then Paul committed them to God and to the word of His grace. 

LIFE APPLICATION:  Paul taught the importance of developing close relationships within the body of Christ.  He showed family affection to one another with brotherly love. (Romans 12:10a),   He taught how to outdo one another in showing honor.  (Romans 12:10b). And he demonstrated how to accept one another.  (Romans 15:7).  

I pray the body of Christ will see the value in developing deep and lasting relationships with one another, and that it won't be just practiced by the leaders of the Church, but among all the believers.   

- Robin Orefice