Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Acts 18:1-17
Set – Leviticus 16; Acts 18
Go! – Leviticus 15-17; Acts 18
Acts 18:1-17
1From Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth alone. 2 He found a Jewish man there named Aquila, originally from Pontus. Aquila and his wife Priscilla had recently come to Corinth from Italy because Claudius had banished all Jews from Rome. Paul visited them in their home 3 and discovered they shared the same trade of tent making. He then became their long-term guest and joined them in their tent-making business. 4 Each Sabbath he would engage both Jews and Greeks in debate in the synagogue in an attempt to persuade them of his message. 5 Eventually Silas and Timothy left Macedonia and joined him in Corinth. They found him fully occupied by proclaiming the message, testifying to the Jewish people that Jesus was God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. 6 Eventually, though, some of them stopped listening and began insulting him. He shook the dust off his garments in protest.Paul: OK. I’ve done all I can for you. You are responsible for your own destiny before God. From now on, I will bring the good news to the outsiders!
7 He walked out of the synagogue and went next door to the home of an outsider, Titius Justus, who worshiped God. 8 Paul formed a gathering of believers there that included Crispus (the synagogue leader) and his whole household and many other Corinthians who heard Paul, believed, and were ceremonially washed through baptism. 9 One night Paul had a vision in which he heard the Lord’s voice.
The Lord: Do not be afraid, Paul. Speak! Don’t be silent! 10 I am with you, and no one will lay a finger on you to harm you. I have many in this city who are already My people.
11 After such turmoil in previous cities, these words encouraged Paul to extend his stay in Corinth, teaching the message of God among them for a year and six months.
12 During this time, some Jews organized an attack on Paul and made formal charges against him to Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia.
Jews: 13 This man is convincing people to worship God in ways that contradict our Hebrew Scriptures.
Paul was about to speak, but Gallio spoke first.
Gallio: 14 Look, if this were some serious crime, I would accept your complaint as a legitimate legal case, 15 but this is just more of your typical Jewish squabbling about trivialities in your sacred literature. I have no interest in getting dragged into this kind of thing.
16 So he threw out their case and drove them away from his bench. 17 They were furious and seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official; then they beat him in front of the tribunal. Gallio just ignored them.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Gallio’s words could apply to many of the churches that call themselves “Christian” today, you know. You like to point your finger at the Jews of the New Testament and talk about how petty they were and how they couldn’t see past their noses to understand that Jesus was My Son, come to redeem humankind from the chasm of sin that separates you from Me. The Jews of the synagogues in almost every city Paul and his entourage visited raised up people who would start riots and blame it on Paul.
Gallio just happened to have enough smarts to see the real problem. It wasn’t the message Paul preached. It wasn’t the change in people Gallio and other city officials saw in the lives of those Paul reached. The problem Gallio saw was the synagogue leaders didn’t have a message that changed lives anymore. They had lost their focus on what was important and their faith had become a religion instead of a relationship with Me. They went through rituals every day saying their robotic prayers and making their mandated sacrifices, but there was no heart in what they did. They had lost the reason for why they came to the synagogue in the first place.
A lot of My churches are getting that way. Why is it that there are hundreds of churches in some cities, yet hundreds of thousands that never walk in their doors? Why is it you walk past each other and they assume everyone in your congregation is bound for hell because of your actions and beliefs and, of course, your congregation is assured of the same of them? Why do you let Satan get between you and let petty things detract you from what is really important? My Son told you to love each other and told you the story of the Samaritan who cared for the victimized Jew to drive the story home about who your neighbor really is. Yet you let the world see you squabbling like bad children that can never get along.
That’s not My church. Jesus went into the temple and synagogues, but His greatest works didn’t happen there. His greatest works happened outside where the people were. He ministered in the messy, everyday lives of the people He met. That’s what My church should do. Gallio understood it. He saw the squabble that shouldn’t happen going on among My children. It’s time to grow up, get along with each other. In fact, do more than just get along, love each other as I commanded you. And get out into the world and show those that really need to know Me that My church can make a difference in lives.
How about it. Are you up for the challenge?
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