Acts 21:1-14 Serve Others

Acts 21:1-14 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Paul went to Jerusalem from Macedonia by ship. The ship stopped in Tyre to unload its cargo. Paulsought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Hospitality was part of being in a Christian community. Allowing others to move into your home for a while was one of he gifts found in the early church. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:8-10) Then at Ptolemais, Paul stayed somewhere for a day. Again in Caesarea, he stayed with Philip the evangelist for a while. Paul and all of the missionaries needed places to stay when evangelizing. Christians opened their homes to others, denying themselves, allowing others to disturb their environment and usual routine. These visitors needed to be fed, to have a bed or room where they could rest and sleep. Hospitality was a way for Christians to follow Christ and to help spread the Good News to other people. In a very small way these actions fulfill Jesus’ statement of denying yourself and taking up the cross. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew. 6:24-25) If your comfort and usual routine precludes you from doing the work of the cross, then you are denying your responsibility to the Lord. In some of these communities in the Greek world, hospitality could bring problems too, for Christians were not always safe from persecution from the worldly. Jason, a Christian Jew, had welcomed Paul into his home in Thessalonica. When a mob was stirred up, opposing Paul and his ministry, and when the mob could not find Paul, they dragged Jason before the leaders of the community. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. (Acts 17:5-7) Jason had to post bond for his release. To be a Christian in the Jewish world and the Greek world was sometimes a dangerous identity. Christianity was invading a very dangerous, violent world of darkness. The devil and his cohorts were not going to passively allow the light of Christ to penetrate the darkness, so they often stirred up the people against the Good News. Consequently, suffering would be a major part of the lives of converts to Christianity in the emerging church. The apostles’ letters to the church always included the obvious that Christians everywhere were experiencing persecution because of the Good News. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2) Those who chose hospitality over the threats of men and their communities were willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. 

As Paul journeys home, he meets many Christians who warn him about going back to Jerusalem. These people love Paul, desiring the best for him. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. The people in Tyre had urged Paul to not put himself in danger by going back to Jerusalem, a hornet's nest of opposition to the Good News. However, Paul was determined to complete his third missionary trip by going back to Jerusalem. Their warnings, their premonitions, even their prophesies in the Spirit turned out to be valid. Paul’s freedom was taken away in Jerusalem. He lived out the rest of his life in chains. In Caesarea he lodges several days with Philip the Evangelist, who had four daughters who had the gift of prophesy. In Caesarea Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judea. Agabus knew the elite in Jerusalem were stewing over Paul’s ministry in the Greek world. As with Jesus while He was living, the priests had murder in their hearts. They wanted to kill this apostate, Paul. For them, Paul was chief in spreading Christianity. Even Jews were being converted to this idea of Jesus being the Lord. Agabus understood the hatred that existed in Judea against Paul and his ministry. Therefore, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’" Everything he said would come true. However, Paul had a mission to complete; he was not a free agent to do whatever he pleases.Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart, for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripturesregarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4) Even though Agabus and others prophesied correctly of what would happen in Jerusalem, Paul was under orders from Jesus himself. He had been set apart by Jesus to go into all the world to preach the gospel. He eventually would go to Rome and preach Christ to the known world at that time, causing the message of redemption to circulate through the Roman world. Paul was a slave to Christ; everything he was or ever will be was given to Christ. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:7-9) Paul's position in life; his very existence depended on Jesus and his holiness. He was not willing to avoid the future calamities he would face. No prophesy or concern of others for his well-being would delay him from going to Jerusalem, for him there was no detour away from God’s commission to him. Jesus had told Paul, why do you fight against my will for you. I have a purpose for you, my will in your life will be implemented, but through much suffering. To complete this commission from Christ for Paul, Jerusalem was just a stop on the road to Rome, but he will not go in freedom but in chains.

Dear friends, God has a will for us in our lives. His will for us could be that we are hospitable or that we exercise willingly other gifts given by his gracious hand. In spiritual alertness we should stay attuned to God’s desire for us in the church. Even when we struggle and experience dark times, we should be sensitive to the will of God for our lives. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.Do not treat prophecies with contemptbut test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonian 5:17-22) It is hard to rejoice when we feel we are captivated by worries of this world or discordant ideas. But the voice of God is part of our spiritual existence; therefore, we ought not to treat that voice with contempt. His voice is real and true, when He says to you, I am with you regardless; He is WITH YOU. Do not ignore his voice in you or through the scriptures. When He tells us to repent for some ill deed or thought, we are to repent and thank God for his goodness. Paul knew the will of God; no others could dictate to him God’s will for his life. He was not a slave to the will of others, but to Jesus’ will only. We also are slaves to Christ; our will should be his will. God bought us with a high price, the precious, efficacious blood of Jesus on the cross. As Peter said in his first sermon, we live with the Spirit of God in us, not in a cloud above us or a pillar of fire at night. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Act 2:17). In our lives we should heed the Spirit within us. God has a will for our lives. If we examine any part of Jesus’ life on earth, we would find God’s will in it. Friends in your lives, good or bad, God is working out his will in you. We might be troubled by that truth. How can that be? I cannot even forgive myself: how can God forgive me? Remember always, Paul raised his hand in agreement with others to murder God’s precious children. Yet, that filthy spirit of murder, God used to reach the world with the Good News. Paul was zealous above all others to preach the gospel; he would not quit; he would go to Jerusalem regardless of the consequences. God can and will use us no matter how we feel about life. The reason for that is we place our trust in Jesus' life and works, not our own experiences and works. Our faith is embedded in Christ’s life, not our own life. We cannot be new creatures through our own efforts; this born-again life is God’s work, not our work. Consequently, we Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7) Paul was on a mission, nothing would curtail him from fulfilling his mission in life. HIs anxieties, his fears, his stress, even his doubts of God’s closeness to him in all situations, would not deter him from doing the will of God. Now friends be where Jesus is: with the poor, homeless, the hungry, the destitute, the imprisoned. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Breakfast companions, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Let nothing hinder you in your walk with Christ from exercising the gifts God has given you. Everything you are or ever shall be is under the blood of the Lord. Praise his wonderful name! Love, Dad and Mom 

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

Acts 21:1-14 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day.Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Paul went to Jerusalem from Macedonia by ship. The ship stopped in Tyre to unload its cargo. Paulsought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Hospitality was part of being in a Christian community. Allowing others to move into your home for a while was one of he gifts found in the early church. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:8-10) Then at Ptolemais, Paul stayed somewhere for a day. Again in Caesarea, he stayed with Philip the evangelist for a while. Paul and all of the missionaries needed places to stay when evangelizing. Christians opened their homes to others, denying themselves, allowing others to disturb their environment and usual routine. These visitors needed to be fed, to have a bed or room where they could rest and sleep. Hospitality was a way for Christians to follow Christ and to help spread the Good News to other people. In a very small way these actions fulfill Jesus’ statement of denying yourself and taking up the cross. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. (Matthew. 6:24-25) If your comfort and usual routine precludes you from doing the work of the cross, then you are denying your responsibility to the Lord. In some of these communities in the Greek world, hospitality could bring problems too, for Christians were not always safe from persecution from the worldly. Jason, a Christian Jew, had welcomed Paul into his home in Thessalonica. When a mob was stirred up, opposing Paul and his ministry, and when the mob could not find Paul, they dragged Jason before the leaders of the community. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. (Acts 17:5-7) Jason had to post bond for his release. To be a Christian in the Jewish world and the Greek world was sometimes a dangerous identity. Christianity was invading a very dangerous, violent world of darkness. The devil and his cohorts were not going to passively allow the light of Christ to penetrate the darkness, so they often stirred up the people against the Good News. Consequently, suffering would be a major part of the lives of converts to Christianity in the emerging church. The apostles’ letters to the church always included the obvious that Christians everywhere were experiencing persecution because of the Good News. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2) Those who chose hospitality over the threats of men and their communities were willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. 

As Paul journeys home, he meets many Christians who warn him about going back to Jerusalem. These people love Paul, desiring the best for him. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. The people in Tyre had urged Paul to not put himself in danger by going back to Jerusalem, a hornet's nest of opposition to the Good News. However, Paul was determined to complete his third missionary trip by going back to Jerusalem. Their warnings, their premonitions, even their prophesies in the Spirit turned out to be valid. Paul’s freedom was taken away in Jerusalem. He lived out the rest of his life in chains. In Caesarea he lodges several days with Philip the Evangelist, who had four daughters who had the gift of prophesy. In Caesarea Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judea. Agabus knew the elite in Jerusalem were stewing over Paul’s ministry in the Greek world. As with Jesus while He was living, the priests had murder in their hearts. They wanted to kill this apostate, Paul. For them, Paul was chief in spreading Christianity. Even Jews were being converted to this idea of Jesus being the Lord. Agabus understood the hatred that existed in Judea against Paul and his ministry. Therefore, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’" Everything he said would come true. However, Paul had a mission to complete; he was not a free agent to do whatever he pleases.Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart, for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripturesregarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4) Even though Agabus and others prophesied correctly of what would happen in Jerusalem, Paul was under orders from Jesus himself. He had been set apart by Jesus to go into all the world to preach the gospel. He eventually would go to Rome and preach Christ to the known world at that time, causing the message of redemption to circulate through the Roman world. Paul was a slave to Christ; everything he was or ever will be was given to Christ. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:7-9) Paul's position in life; his very existence depended on Jesus and his holiness. He was not willing to avoid the future calamities he would face. No prophesy or concern of others for his well-being would delay him from going to Jerusalem, for him there was no detour away from God’s commission to him. Jesus had told Paul, why do you fight against my will for you. I have a purpose for you, my will in your life will be implemented, but through much suffering. To complete this commission from Christ for Paul, Jerusalem was just a stop on the road to Rome, but he will not go in freedom but in chains.

Dear friends, God has a will for us in our lives. His will for us could be that we are hospitable or that we exercise willingly other gifts given by his gracious hand. In spiritual alertness we should stay attuned to God’s desire for us in the church. Even when we struggle and experience dark times, we should be sensitive to the will of God for our lives. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.Do not treat prophecies with contemptbut test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonian 5:17-22) It is hard to rejoice when we feel we are captivated by worries of this world or discordant ideas. But the voice of God is part of our spiritual existence; therefore, we ought not to treat that voice with contempt. His voice is real and true, when He says to you, I am with you regardless; He is WITH YOU. Do not ignore his voice in you or through the scriptures. When He tells us to repent for some ill deed or thought, we are to repent and thank God for his goodness. Paul knew the will of God; no others could dictate to him God’s will for his life. He was not a slave to the will of others, but to Jesus’ will only. We also are slaves to Christ; our will should be his will. God bought us with a high price, the precious, efficacious blood of Jesus on the cross. As Peter said in his first sermon, we live with the Spirit of God in us, not in a cloud above us or a pillar of fire at night. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Act 2:17). In our lives we should heed the Spirit within us. God has a will for our lives. If we examine any part of Jesus’ life on earth, we would find God’s will in it. Friends in your lives, good or bad, God is working out his will in you. We might be troubled by that truth. How can that be? I cannot even forgive myself: how can God forgive me? Remember always, Paul raised his hand in agreement with others to murder God’s precious children. Yet, that filthy spirit of murder, God used to reach the world with the Good News. Paul was zealous above all others to preach the gospel; he would not quit; he would go to Jerusalem regardless of the consequences. God can and will use us no matter how we feel about life. The reason for that is we place our trust in Jesus' life and works, not our own experiences and works. Our faith is embedded in Christ’s life, not our own life. We cannot be new creatures through our own efforts; this born-again life is God’s work, not our work. Consequently, we Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7) Paul was on a mission, nothing would curtail him from fulfilling his mission in life. HIs anxieties, his fears, his stress, even his doubts of God’s closeness to him in all situations, would not deter him from doing the will of God. Now friends be where Jesus is: with the poor, homeless, the hungry, the destitute, the imprisoned. Let your gentleness be evident to all. Breakfast companions, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Let nothing hinder you in your walk with Christ from exercising the gifts God has given you. Everything you are or ever shall be is under the blood of the Lord. Praise his wonderful name! Love, Dad and Mom 

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

  

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

  

Acts 20 25-38 Encourage One Another!

Acts 20 25-38  “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.  Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.  For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  So be on your guard!  Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.  “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.  I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.  You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.  They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.  What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.  Then they accompanied him to the ship.

In the above focus Paul is journeying back to Jerusalem.  On the way he meets with the elders of Ephesus.  His harvest in Ephesus was great, and now he was meeting with the elders.  He felt he needed to warn them that wolves will enter the church to destroy the work of God in Ephesus.  Within and without the church,  wolves would come to contaminate the purity of Jesus Christ being the only way to God.  The wolves would come to cripple the church's effectiveness in Ephesus.  As with the Old Testament, deceivers are always in the midst of God’s people.  The rebellion to God’s ways is always present in some people.  The devil uses this animosity to God as a way to destroy others.  God's prophets often wailed against these wicked people who would alter God’s words for their selfish reasons, mainly for money, status or a following.  We hear Ezekiel say, The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying.  Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!  — Their visions are false and their divinations a lie.  Even though the Lord has not sent them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.  Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?  (Ezekiel 13:1-3; 6-7)  Through all the millenniums people have prophesied falsely for selfish reasons.  Paul now informs the elders of the church of Ephesus that these wolves of falsehood will invade their church too.  Peter also expresses this reality of false prophets in the church by saying that in the last days, There will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.  Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.  (2 Peter 2:1-3)  Paul, the spiritual father of the Ephesian church, now admonishes the elders that they must remain faithful to the true gospel; they must not vary it to please the itchy ears of the most worldly within their congregation.  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  They should faithfully minister the word and demonstrate the power of the word in their personal lives.  Paul, because of the darkness of the Greek world, felt he could not contaminate the purity of the gospel in any way.  Therefore, he would not let the church give him money for his service to them.  He worked with his hands not only for his own needs but also for the needs of others.  He did this because Ephesus was a wicked and dark place, controlled by demonic, idol worship.  He did not want any criticism from the world, claiming he preached the gospel for remuneration.  He wanted the purity of the light of Christ to shine through this darkness.  Today, and since the beginning of the church, ministers are to receive support for serving the people.  This is the will of God, clearly expressed in the Word of God.  Spreading the Good News deserves remuneration.

Ministers today have a grave responsibility to lead a church with the wholesomeness of the word of God.   Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  (2 Timothy 4:2-3)  Many in the church of the living God live with itchy ears; they want only words from their pastors of encouragement, not correction or a rebuke.   Correction or rebuke rub them the wrong way, and a cat when you pet his fur the wrong way will jump off your lap.  But a true servant of the Lord sometimes has to say things that are not accepted as bouquets.  Ezekiel says, false prophets will often say things that are not true, misinforming the people.  They lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace.  (Ezekiel 13:10)  When a minister observes discord and confusion in one or some of his congregates, he has the responsibility to address the issue in an honest and upright manner.  Sadly, Paul had to do that in the Corinthian church.  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed.  (1 Corinthians 5:2-3)  Paul was strong in his denunciation of this impurity within the church.  He told the church to remove this person who is openly living in sin from the fellowship and to deliver him to Satan.  Hopefully causing him to repent of his lifestyle and return to Christ.  He did repent, saving his soul.  An elder must take care of the flock, keeping it healthy spiritually.  To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.  (1 Peter 5:1-4)  The elders are to elevate Jesus in every interaction with others, for Jesus is the personification of love that binds members of the congregation together.  Jesus is the  Redeemer, the Gate, Eternal life; no other way is open to the Kingdom of God.  As  Peter exclaims, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  (1 Peter 1:3-4)  This Good News must be expressed in the way an elder leads his church.  His daily song should be the angels' song at Jesus’ birth.  “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  (Luke 2:14)  This song unifies the flock.

Sometimes people in the church are inert, lethargic. unwilling to live actively for God in the marketplace of life.  They attend church and facilitate what is needed to keep a church going, but do not express the Good News in their daily lives.  They are like the fence sitters that Jesus tells about in Luke 7.   We know Paul was actively involved in doing the will of God.  His trip to Jerusalem was under the auspices of God’s will.  When Paul talks to the elders of the Ephesians, he states, “I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.  Because of that statement, the elders wept as they embraced him and kissed him.  Their response reveals the intensity of love that should be in the church of the living God.  But in Luke we see people unwilling to get involved with the purpose of life or with following God in their personal lives: they are fence sitters.  We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.  (Luke 7:32)  They would not get involved with John the Baptist's teaching of repentance and not with Jesus' teaching of the Good News.  They were inert, sitting on the fence, yet criticized others who were involved with seeking God.  Jesus was upset with them and He illustrates his concern about these people when He accepts an invitation to dine with a Pharisee.  During this dining experience a woman of ill-repute comes into their presence and kneels at Jesus’ feet with tears running down her face.  She kneels at his feet, washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, and wiping his feet dry with the glory of her head, her hair.  Then she puts expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, while she was constantly kissing his feet.  She was not on the fence; she was involved in the marketplace of life.  The Pharisee, a spiritual fence sitter, thought only of criticism about this scene.  He was filled with anger and judgment about this unclean woman touching Jesus, interrupting their meal.  Jesus knew his thoughts and how unclean they were.  He then tells a tale about two men who were in debt to a rich man.  “Two people owed money to a certain money lender.  One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both.  Now which of them will love him more?  ”Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”  “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.  (Luke 7:41-43)  Jesus knows why Simon was not serving him, the Son of Man, with respect or love.  He is a fence sitter, willing to criticize people who are actually playing the game of life with dedication and exuberance.  He tells Simon that this dear woman you despise did all the things you would not do for me.  You did not give me water to wash my feet; she washed my feet with her heartfelt tears.  You did not give me a towel; she wiped my feet with her hair.  You did not anoint my head with oil of which is a customary practice in Israel.  Yet she humbly anoints my feet with expensive perfume and is incessantly kissing my feet.  What is wrong with you Simon?  Friends around this breakfast table, what was wrong with Simon is that he felt he had no reason to repent or to be sorry for his many sins.  He had no reason to seek God’s forgiveness or to love his Son, Jesus.  But the woman knew she had many sins to be forgiven.  She also recognized Jesus as divine.  Because of her faith in Jesus’ works, Jesus tells her, your sins are forgiven; my Father accepts your repentance of tears and a broken heart.  Jesus who always does the will of the Father tells this sinful woman, your Father in heaven forgives you.  Dear friends do you really know what a price has been paid for your many sins.  Do you recognize how much God has paid for your redemption?  Do you know what it means when Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!”  If you really understand, you will get off the fence, dispense of your lethargy, and get involved in the marketplace of life, proclaiming the Good News to people around you, expressing in your daily life the will of God.  God bless you as you do his will.     

Acts 20:13-24 God's Grace Is Good News!

Acts 20:13-24  We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard.  He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot.  When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.  The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios.  The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.  Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.  From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.  When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.  I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.  You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.  I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.“  And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.  I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

In the above account we see Paul always on the move, ministering the good news.  Paul had ministered in Troas for seven days.  Troas is where the young man, Eutychus, fell from his high perch on a windowsill while listening to Paul and lay below dead.  Since this was the final day in Troas, Paul left for Assos the next day, a two day walk.  The rest of his companions went to Assos by boat.  Paul joined up with them at Assos.  For some reason, Paul went to Assos by foot; he could have sailed to Troas with the others, but Paul was always on the move to satisfy Jesus’ desire to harvest people.  Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  (John 4:35)   Paul must have thought that his journey to Assos by foot was an opportunity to reap a harvest in this area of Asia.  As in the last part of Mark, Jesus is attributed as saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  (Mark 16:15-16)  Paul’s life goal was to free people from Satan’s hold, making them children of God.  Nothing would stop the ministry that Jesus placed upon him on the road to Damascus.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  (Acts 9:3-6)  Every day from that time on Paul rose up every morning to serve the Lord.  The message Jesus planted on him was GET UP AND GO.  In Troas, the others tarried a bit and then sailed to Assos, but Paul got up and went to Assos on foot, expending a great deal of effort to do so.  However,  Paul considered his life as meaningless unless he was under the yoke of Jesus’ will: go into the Gentile world and preach the Good News.  We do not know what Paul was doing in those two days between Troas and Assos, but we suspect that he was ministering THE WAY to people he met on the journey.  At Assos he joined the retinue, probably relating to them what he experienced the last two days.  The passion of the Holy Spirit was embedded in Paul’s life.  Jesus had commanded the apostles to wait for the infilling of the Spirit before they went out and related to people the Good News.  The Holy Spirit within them compelled them to preach the Good News in Jesus’ name.  The name of Jesus was despised by the leaders of the Jews, for them any other name was okay, but not the name of Jesus, the Lord, the Savior, the Messiah, the Son of God.  This name of Jesus Paul carried in his breast, exposing him to great persecution and a constant threat of death.  He said, I served God in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.  However, when Jesus stopped Saul on the way to Damascus, the Lord said, Get up and go, even when Saul was still blind.  Jesus sent this once blind man to the Gentiles under the Gentile name of Paul.  Because of Paul’s obedience to Jesus’ words, many Gentiles in the whole world will enter the household of God forever.

Paul’s life could never had been anticipated by him when he was a respected, young rabbi in Jerusalem.  He was an up-and-coming rabbi who had a future of someday becoming a leader in the Jewish community.   Every day as a young man he was dedicated to the law and to his leaders.  His leaders were zealous in stomping out the name of Jesus in the Jewish community.  HIs purpose on the road to Damascus was to arrest the apostates in that city and to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.  For Saul that day started with him fulfilling the commands of the Jewish priests, but would end with him being under the command and will of Jesus.  He would end that day with the word of “Go”  and do my will.  Such a command was heard by Noah, Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, the judges, the prophets and many others.  So many of these men did not anticipate this command, but one day God interrupted their lives with dreams, trances, visitations, and wonders.  Moses’ life was interrupted by God when he saw a burning bush that was not consumed.  When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses!  Moses!”  And Moses said, “Here I am.”  “Do not come any closer,” God said.  “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”  At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.  (Exodus 3:4-6)   God called Moses for an unanticipated event in the children of Israel’s life.  The Jews were locked up in slavery in the land of Egypt with no hope of freedom.  But God had a new dawn for them, a day of freedom, and Moses would be the vehicle that would lead them to another existence.  God told Moses, GO to Egypt and free my people.  The rest of the story is told in the Scriptures.  Whenever God shows up, things happen that are not anticipated; the terrain of life is altered permanently for those who are involved.  In the New Testament, Peter was arrested to please wicked Herod.  James had already been beheaded by Herod.  Now for his own pleasure, Herod was going to kill Peter too.  Peter before his execution the next day is sleeping between two soldiers, chained to them, unable to escape from this imprisonment.  However, the unanticipated happens.  The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell.  He struck Peter on the side and woke him up.  “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.  Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.”  And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.  (Acts 12:6-8)  As with Moses, the angel of the Lord shows up, and tells Peter in essence, GO, Quick, get up!  This unreal happening, not anticipated by Peter or his unbelieving prayer warriors, who failed to open the door to Peter when he came to their gathering, for they did not believe it was possible for Peter to be standing at their door knocking.   The faith of men did not release Peter from prison; the sovereignty of God released Peter.  Paul journeyed from city to city in Macedonia, Greece and Asia under the sovereignty of God.  He answered the call of God, but those who were added to the household of God were part and parcel of God’s plan to redeem the world from the hold of slavery.  Paul carried that light of God everywhere he went, even as he journeyed on foot to Assos.

Paul on his way to Jerusalem meets with the elders of the Ephesian church.  He declares to them what he has been preaching in every community that he has visited in his life.  I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.  First, they must turn to God in repentance and secondly, put their faith in Jesus, who has brought resurrection life to all who believe in him.  Paul’s message was direct, straightforward, with no compromise.  He paid a heavy price for delivering that message to a dark world.  All the apostles paid a heavy price in giving the Good News to the world.  We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.  We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ!  We are weak, but you are strong!  You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.  (1 Corinthians 4:10-13)   Paul is addressing the Corinthian church who feel they are so spiritual that they can quarrel about what they believe and whose words they should believe.  Thinking of themselves as being wise in their immaturity; they are really fooling themselves because Paul and Apollo and others have paid the supreme price of deprivation to bring the whole counsel of God to the Corinthians.  In presenting the Good News to people, Paul often met opposition in and out of the churches.  Nevertheless, he was faithful to his calling of, Go into the world and preach the name of Jesus Christ, both to the Gentile and the Jew.  As with Moses in the wilderness, he often met with God through the words of the Holy Spirit, to be refreshed by the will of God in his life.  As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent.  The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.  (Exodus 33:9-11)  Even under great duress and persecution, Paul knew he was a friend of God.  He knew God would always be beside him and that he would always have access to the voice of God.  God had called Paul explicitly to spread the Good News to the Gentile world, so Paul knew God was always present with him.  As the Psalmist said, Paul understood in his life.  O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.  You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.  You know everything I do.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.  You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!  I can never escape from your Spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!  (Psalm 139:1-7)  Blessed people around this breakfast table, God knows your sitting down and your rising up.  He knows your words even before you say them; that is how intimate God is with you.  He knows this day the intentions of your heart.  Paul understood that in his life.  He walked two days to get to a city whereas he could have sailed there.  His days were days of earnestly serving the Lord.  We too should approach our days in the same way.  The people in your household, the people next to you, are fields ripe for harvest.  Are you willing to harvest for the Lord?  Are you willing to GO, GET UP.  Peter followed the angel out of captivity.  Are you willing to follow Jesus every hour of your life?  The rewards are so great for those who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.  YES, YOU ARE WILLING!  So GO!  Amen.     

        

      

   

   

     

Acts 20:1-12 Be Comforted

Acts 20:1-12  When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.  He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months.  Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.  He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.  These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.  But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.  On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.  Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.  There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.  Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on.  When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.  Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him.  “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”  Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.  The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

As we continue to walk with Paul in the book of Acts, we note that he was always on the move through Asia and Greece.  He was a man designated by God to reach the Gentile world with the Good News.  Paul, being a man of the Spirit, always had the Holy Spirit directing his walk.  As with the Israelites in the wilderness, the Holy Spirit led him and them through a bleak, desolate land to the Promised Land.  The Israelites were led by a cloud of God’s Spirit day and night.  This cloud of God covered the Tabernacle built for his presence.  Paul, after his conversion was a powerful tabernacle of God, fulfilling God’s purposes in the Gentile world.  He was driven by the voice of God to different lands.  As with Jesus, the Tabernacle of God, who traveled throughout Israel ministering, Paul likewise ministered THE WAY of redemption in every city he visited.  He ministered the Good News in lands of darkness, sold out to idol worshipping and witchcraft.  We see in the Israelites wilderness journey that every oasis visited, every stop on the way to the Promised Land was directed by the Holy Cloud.  In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted.  So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.  (Exodus 40:36-38)  Moses was dependent on the voice of the Lord that dwelled in the house of the Lord between the two cherubim.  When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law.  In this way the Lord spoke to him.  (Numbers 7:89)  Moses alone because of God’s voice in the Tabernacle knew what God was doing in the Israelites’ journey from Egypt.  Paul alone through God’s revelation to him fully understood the mystery of man's redemption that was hidden in God’s heart from the beginning of time: God, through Christ, would redeem all mankind to him through the work of the cross.  All people could be right with God through faith in his Son’s work.  This message of knowing God through the work of Jesus on the cross and his subsequent resurrection was opposed mightly by the principalities of the air.  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:10-12)

In every place Paul went, the  principalities of the air were at work; the devil did not want the Good News to penetrate his strongholds.  The people of Asia and Greece were deep into idol worship and witchcraft.  Their minds were full of the deception of the Evil One and his cohorts: the demons, programmed for generations and millenniums to worship anything but God, the Creator of all things.  The Holy Spirit opened these strongholds of the devil through miracles and wonders and through Paul’s boldness to preach the Good News regardless of the cost to him.  When Paul was prevented from ministering in certain areas in Asia, the Holy Spirit opened the lands of Macedonia and Greece to the Good News.  In these areas his ministry flourished; God allowed Paul to perform many miraculous deeds to verify what he was preaching.  God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.  (Acts 19:11-12)  In the above focus, we see Paul attempting to go back to Asia through Syria, but he was discouraged to do so because of opposition.  Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.  Therefore, Paul backtracks to Macedonia and Greece, preaching the Good News everywhere and encouraging the new believers in these lands.  Opposition is always a part of exposing THE WAY to any area, even from the family.  Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn“‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’  “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."  (Matthew 10:34-39)  Paul’s ministry disturbed the lifestyles, customs, traditions, the mores of the people in these Gentile countries.  The defiance he faced from the people was extremely strong and harsh.  They beat him with rods, stoned him, put him in chains and jailed him.  But his ministries still flourished.  Now delayed in going back to Asia, Paul went back to the nascent churches in Macedonia and Greece, encouraging them to stay strong in the face of severe opposition to the message of Christ Jesus, not only in the community, but also in their families and friends.  The defiance to Paul’s ministry was especially strong in the Jewish communities in those areas.  They despised this message that biological Jews were not honored by God above all other people in the world.  A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.  (Romans 2:28-29)  They thought he was demeaning the law, but Paul was not, for the law brought light to a godless world.  The law revealed the true nature of God, his perfection, righteousness and holiness.  The Good News was that IN CHRIST, the law would be fully implemented before God’s eyes by faith in the righteous works of His Son.  Nevertheless, the Jews' harassment of Paul was severe and potentially deadly.  Paul would not backdown in believing God loves all humanity passionately and desires for all men and women to be right with him.  He would not preach that circumcision of the flesh was a valid symbol of being right with God.  Instead Paul preached the cross made people right with God and that all men and women have equal access to being right with the Creator of all things.

We see in the above account that a young man became drowsy and fell asleep, falling from a windowsill to his death.  This death revealed once again how powerful God is: He can even overcome death.  He is the God of the resurrection.  When John the Baptist was questioning whether Jesus was the Messiah promised by God, he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus that question.  When John’s disciples addressed that question to Jesus, Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.  Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”  (Matthew 11:4-6)  The salient part to Jesus’ response to John’s disciples is, go back and tell him what you have seen, not only heard but seen.  So we assume that John’s disciples, in that short time they were with Jesus, saw many phenomenal things happen: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised.  And the dead are raised from death.  This reveals quite clearly the truth of what John says at the end of his gospel:  Jesus did many other things as well.  If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.  (John 21:25)  In this short visit by John’s disciples, they saw many miracles that could not be accounted as acts of an ordinary man.  They were seeing God in action through the hands of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.  In the above focus, we see Paul performing an act of resurrection,  Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him.  “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!  Was Eutychus dead, probably so for the scriptures tell us of his name, claiming the reality of this account.  This act was in God’s will not in man’s will.  God wanted him alive for his purposes, not for Eutychus or the people attending that event.  As with Jesus’ healing, the purpose was to reveal the God of power, functioning through men and women because of the Holy Spirit within them.  After Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit, his ministry of miracles became a reality.  Paul, full of the Holy Spirit, functions with miracles in his life.  God was opening the land of the spiritually dead through marvelous miracles and wonders.  Those who hear the voice of God will do the wonders of God.  The people in the wilderness did not want to hear the voice of God, for they feared for their lives because they were idol worshippers, recalcitrant to God’s demands on their lives.  But now, why should we risk death again?  If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire.  Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire as we did and yet survive?  Go yourself and listen to what the Lord our God says.  Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.’  (Deuteronomy 5:25-27)  They wanted an intermediator between them and God.  In our present world, a minister, a pastor, to hear from God.  He is to know God’s will through this journey through the wilderness of life, but that is not where the church of the living God is in this world.  We are all priests, capable to minister to people around us; we all have spiritual eyes and ears to use for God’s purposes.  But to fulfill our purpose in the kingdom of God, we cannot have one foot in the kingdom of the world and one foot in the kingdom of God: that is an adulterous lifestyle.  As James warns Christians, You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?  Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  (James 4:4-5)   Even though the natural tendency of men and women of being too close to the world in our likes and desires, the scriptures say he gives us more grace.  (James 4:6)  We know dear friends around this breakfast table that we glory in the fact that God’s love for us is so great that He gives us more grace when we fly too close to worldly desires.  But we ought not live as adulterers, faithless in serving God.  We should live with a strong desire in our hearts and minds to serve God in everything we say or do.  Let that be the passion in our lives.  May we go where the Holy Spirit sends us.