Tag Archives: Acts

At the Name of Jesus, April 19, 2021

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

We like to read the stories in the Bible. We like to hear about the miracles and heroes rising up to defeat great armies. But that’s not what the Bible is about. When we stop and examine those stories, they tell us about God’s plan for humanity through those stories. What’s more important is how his plan unfolds through the lives of those who follow him and stay obedient to him. We learn by watching God’s power work through their weakness. 

One such story comes from the early believers as Peter and John go to the temple to worship. But it’s not the miraculous event that should capture our attention, but Peter’s sermon that follows. Just to make sure we suit everyone, though, I will share the miraculous part of the story, too.

The time of prayer was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple.A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in.

The man saw Peter and John entering the temple, and he asked them for money.But they looked straight at him and said, “Look up at us!”

The man stared at them and thought he was going to get something.But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking.”Peter then took him by the right hand and helped him up.

At once the man’s feet and ankles became strong,and he jumped up and started walking. He went with Peter and John into the temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone saw him walking around and praising God.They knew that he was the beggar who had been lying beside the Beautiful Gate, and they were completely surprised. They could not imagine what had happened to the man.

While the man kept holding on to Peter and John, the whole crowd ran to them in amazement at the place known as Solomon’s Porch.Peter saw that a crowd had gathered, and he said:

Friends, why are you surprised at what has happened? Why are you staring at us? Do you think we have some power of our own? Do you think we were able to make this man walk because we are so religious? The God that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and our other ancestors worshiped has brought honor to his Servant Jesus. He is the one you betrayed. You turned against him when he was being tried by Pilate, even though Pilate wanted to set him free.

You rejected Jesus, who was holy and good. You asked for a murderer to be set free, and you killed the one who leads people to life. But God raised him from death, and all of us can tell you what he has done. You see this man, and you know him. He put his faith in the name of Jesus and was made strong. Faith in Jesus made this man completely well while everyone was watching.

My friends, I am sure that you and your leaders didn’t know what you were doing. But God had his prophets tell that his Messiah would suffer, and now he has kept that promise. So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven. Then that time will come when the Lord will give you fresh strength. He will send you Jesus, his chosen Messiah. But Jesus must stay in heaven until God makes all things new, just as his holy prophets promised long ago.

Moses said, “The Lord your God will choose one of your own people to be a prophet, just as he chose me. Listen to everything he tells you.No one who disobeys that prophet will be one of God’s people any longer.”

Samuel and all the other prophets who came later also spoke about what is now happening.You are really the ones God told his prophets to speak to. And you were given the promise that God made to your ancestors. He said to Abraham, “All nations on earth will be blessed because of someone from your family.”God sent his chosen Son to you first, because God wanted to bless you and make each one of you turn away from your sins. (Acts 3 CEV)      

As we often see in scripture, Luke gives us a very brief synopsis of an event that his readers probably had heard before. Whether the name of the person to whom Luke writes, or an honorary title, which means “friend of God,” Theophilus was not ignorant of the incident. Luke confirmed the stories of Jesus and the early church through first-hand knowledge and many witnesses. This first recorded miracle after the coming of God’s spirit into the lives of Jesus’ followers is familiar.

Peter and John headed to the temple to worship. On their way, the saw, as usual the same lame beggar they saw every time they passed the entrance called the Beautiful Gate. He sat there day after day collecting alms as his only means of survival. Someone brought him to the place in the morning. He sat begging all day to collect the few coins those who took pity on him dropped into his hand, and his friends picked him up and took him home at night. That same ritual continued day after day without end. 

When Peter and John stopped that morning and looked into the man’s eyes, though, something different happened. Peter and John had no money. They had nothing to offer except what God’s spirit in them prompted Peter to announce to the man – healing. But not just physical healing. If you read the verses carefully, you’ll find he was made whole, complete, healed in the sense of his body, mind, and spirit renewed and cleansed as the Jews would have understood healing. He could walk when he had never walked before, but his sins were forgiven. He became complete by God’s spirit living in him. God renewed him.

The miracle got people’s attention. Those coming and going around the gate and who saw the man who they recognized as the beggar from years of passing by him began to gather around to find out how this happened. Now Peter had an audience. And Peter, never one to be shy, began to preach. “Do you think we did this? Give honor to the one who really did it. He is healed by the name of Jesus. Oh, the one you betrayed. The one you turned against. The one you rejected. The one you killed and let a murder go free instead. But God raised him from the dead. Faith in Jesus made this man whole.

Peter goes on to excuse the leaders of their ignorance of what they did. Paul will later proclaim that if they had known what they were doing, they would not have crucified Jesus. He lays out how Jesus fulfills the role of the Messiah as prophesied in the scriptures. God kept his covenant promises even though we did not. 

We broke creation through thinking we could be like God. God promised to fix it. But he chose to do so through the humans who broke it in the first place. The covenant with Abraham promised to bless all nations through him. It promised to multiply his family to an uncountable number. The God’s continued covenants with Israel and David told of a king who would rule the earth. Every nation and every person would bow to him. The Messiah would free them from exile. But their view of the Messiah then, didn’t match the Messiah Peter described. They lived in a broken world. One ruled by violence, physical power, so they expected their Messiah to rule with the same harsh character. 

Jesus came in peace. God’s plan to make the world right didn’t include the violent overthrow of world empires. He already kept them in control. He created all things in the first place. Jesus, his Son, could calm storms with the sound of his voice. He could heal with the touch of his hand. He could drive demons out of people and into pigs on command. God didn’t need violence to subdue the nations of the world. He already ruled them. Instead, he came as a gentle shepherd. He allowed himself to be wounded, broken, insulted, humiliated, crucified to show the power of love.

In doing so, Jesus overcame humanity’s curse – death. He defeated death and the power we had given to idolatry. We made figures of wood and stone and invested our worship into these man-made figures instead of worshiping the God of creation. We still worship idols and cause untold pain in the world. Our idols today may not look like the figures of gold and stone from Peter’s day, but we worship money, power, sex, jobs, positions, fame, celebrity, sports, possessions, a host of idols that keep us chained to the curse Jesus defeated for our sake when we believe in him for redemption.

Jesus pronounced a new covenant with his disciples during his last meal with them. He had fulfilled the promises of the old, and he gave his disciples a new covenant that included all who believed in him for salvation. God’s kingdom on earth as in heaven would begin with his death on the cross. He was the King of all kings. All people of every nations were invited to come and kneel at the cross. All who believed in him as the Messiah could become members of this new covenant. All could find freedom from the powers that held them hostage to sin and death and decay eternally. They could find new life in him.

Peter’s sermon to those assembled that day echoed the new covenant. God spoke through the prophets to Israel. “But God had his prophets tell that his Messiah would suffer, and now he has kept that promise. So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.” 

The message hasn’t changed in 2000 years. It is as fresh and true today as it was for those Peter addressed in the temple court that day. Jesus still forgives. He still gives new life to those will believe. All it takes is trusting in him. Do it today. 

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked CEV are taken from the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV): Scripture taken from the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION copyright© 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

He Has Risen – April 5, 2021

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

We just enjoyed a grand Easter celebration because Jesus is alive. But it shouldn’t be a once-a-year celebration. Jesus is alive. Think about that a moment. Two thousand years ago, something happened that changed the course of human history, so much so that most of the world determines the date by the man whose death and resurrection caused that change. Today, secularists changed the name of time from BC and AD to BCE to CE. However, the calendar divisions still coincide with Jesus’ birth as described by the calendar developed by Dionysius in 524 AD under Pope John I. They can change the name, but they cannot change the fact. 

Jesus’ resurrection proved him as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. God’s promised King of all creation to bring freedom and rule over all the world. In Jerusalem, the political and religious leaders thought they defeated the uprising Jesus led with his band of followers proclaiming him Messiah when they nailed him to the cross. The resurrection proved them wrong. But Jesus’ uprising did not want to overthrow Rome or even the priesthood. He brought peace, forgiveness, and hope to the world. The promises God gave Abraham, David, Moses, and Israel in his covenants with them. The message they were supposed to share with the nations to bring others into the family of God, expanding his kingdom to all people.

Since that day, Christians have heard from non-believers that Easter is just a story, Jesus’ followers made it up to keep the revolt alive. Just look at the differences in the gospels, they say. Of course, they disregard the fact that if all the testimonies are identical in a court of law, the opposition will tell you the witnesses were coached. No one sees an event or talks about a traumatic event the same way. Without some trivial differences in the testimonies of witnesses, juries must conclude serious doubt. That’s what we see in the gospels, trivial differences. The event is the resurrection. Who got to the tomb first, whether the angels were inside or outside the tomb, whether there were one or two angels, how the linens were arranged, these are trivial compared to the fact that a dead man was no longer dead, but alive just as he predicted.

Then some would not believe it because the first who saw the risen Lord were women. The gospels reported Mary first seeing the risen Lord in the garden at first thinking him the gardener. In that culture, a woman’s testimony wasn’t considered trustworthy. If the gospels writers wanted to make up the story, they would use men, not women, to tell of the resurrection. We notice by the time Paul begins telling the story for the church, the women’s testimonies are left out, the disciples’ and other followers’ testimonies support seeing the risen Jesus, but not the women. Why? Women’s testimony would cast doubt on the event in his culture.

Then we have the martyrs. Why would ten of the eleven disciples, Paul, and thousands of others willingly go to their death, refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus and his resurrection if they did not believe it? All they had to do was say the words, and they could save their lives, but they did not and would not do so. For those who were Roman citizens, death came quickly as they were beheaded. Rome could create indescribably horrible torture for those who were not Roman citizens before their end finally came. 

One such form of cruelty described by the historian Josephus, a Christian would hang by one hand over a pack of hungry dogs while they jumped and clamored over one another to eat what flesh they could. If the victim didn’t die, they would haul them back to the prison cell to be brought out again to feed other animals or tie them to horses and pulled apart. Still, they would remain loyal to Christ. Incredibly, their suffering and death often spurred others to come to Jesus because of their unshakeable stand for him.

So, what did Jesus do that caused the world to change so dramatically? Why would the calendar and the world turn upside down because of him? We read the words Peter spoke to Cornelius and his household in Acts 10 that describe part of his work.

Peter began to speak: “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis.Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to.You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism.You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him.We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross.But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear,not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death.And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.All the prophets spoke about him, saying that all who believe in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name.” (Acts 10:34-43 GNT)

Jesus came as the human God wants all of us to emulate. Paul tells us in Philippians that he did not exploit his divinity but set it aside and became man to fulfill man’s role as the reflection of God, the embodiment of God, to draw all men to the kingdom. Jesus came announcing peace. He wasn’t the warrior king the Jews wanted in a Messiah, but the King of kings bringing peace and justice to all nations prophesied by Isaiah. He went about doing good, healing people of every sickness, and driving out demons. We hear little about demons in our day. The world will tell you they don’t exist. It’s all part of the story, make-believe. Indeed, some of the issues the middle-ages thought they dealt with were mental illnesses, but we went too far in the other direction, I’m afraid. I believe there exists a spiritual realm we cannot see in which spiritual warfare continues between good and evil, and we behave as willing players on one side or the other. We stand either on God’s side or not. We have a choice, but we cannot stand in the middle; there is no middle ground.

Then Jesus died on the cross, according to the scriptures, as Paul says. It’s much easier to see in hindsight than with foresight, which I think is why Jesus had to explain the scriptures about himself to the two men on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter morning. Now we can look at scripture and see all those verses that tell us his suffering, scourging, death on the cross, the casting lots for his robe, and so many other points in his life that fulfill prophecy. He did what Israel and no other self-proclaimed Messiah had done or could do. 

What did his death on the cross do? Once and for all, he made a way for us to break away from the power of idolatry, whatever that idol might be. Today, it is most likely to be money, power, or sex. Those are the big three. Those might be absorbed in jobs, material things, family, position, pornography, affairs, or anything you put in front of God. But Jesus’ death on the cross, his lifeblood cleansed the place where God and man meet on earth. And his sacrifice means we can come into God’s presence repentantly and our sins will be passed over, forgiven, because of the blood spilled on our behalf, just as the angel of death passed over the houses of the Israelites at their Exodus from Egypt. We are freed from the power of evil. Free to worship God as we should.

Jesus’ resurrection vindicated him from the Jewish leaders’ accusations and others who discredited his role as Messiah. Those who followed the scriptures believed the Messiah could not die, especially before returning the Israelites from exile and seeing God return to revisit his people. His presence had not been seen in the Temple since Ezekiel’s vision of his glory departing the city and stopping above the Mount of Olives. Messiah would restore the dwelling of God and return his glory. But this Jesus died on the cross. The empty tomb, his bodily resurrection, proved his victory even over the power of death. 

Jesus did one more thing with his resurrection. He pulled the future into the present. Some Jews and other pagan religions believed in a resurrection at the end of time when God would judge our actions in this life, and we would be rewarded or punished for our deeds. Jesus brought that future into the present with his resurrection. No others have or will experience it until the end, but he brought the ‘age to come,’ as the Jews refer to it, into the present. As Paul described him, he is the firstfruits of the resurrection, and we will follow him with renewed bodies into a renewed creation at his coming again.

The kingdom has come. God’s spirit dwells in those who believe in him for salvation. Heaven and earth come together in us as heaven and earth came together in the Garden of Eden and the tabernacle in the wilderness and the Temple in Jerusalem. One day, Jesus will return, and the New Jerusalem will appear; the new creation has begun, and we who believe in him are part of it. Our mission is to share the message of his life, death, and resurrection. We are to share the announcement of the new creation coming and that we can all be part of the kingdom he ushered in by his actions on the cross and that first Easter morning. 

Every day is a day to celebrate the fact that he has risen, and he is coming again. In the meantime, share the message that Jesus is now and always will be King of all nations, Lord over all powers and people, Master of everyone and everything. Let us worship him in renewed strength, giving him all the glory he deserves as we await his return.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation®: Scriptures taken from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) Copyright © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Discover God, May 18, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of the pandemic news. I don’t think it’s so much the news about the pandemic as it is the debate about who is at fault for the predicament we’re in economically and physically. Here we sit with unemployment at its highest since the Great Depression. That’s understandable with everyone locked in their homes. It’s hard to employ workers when businesses have no income because no one can come to their place of business to purchase goods and services. 

So we try to help, and in so doing, put our economy in another tailspin by doubling our national debt with programs that I’m not sure help much. Bailouts that were supposed to provide small businesses funds for wages ran out of money within minutes. A $1,200 check to most adults barely covers groceries for a month these days—and then what? Democrats blame Republicans for delays. Republicans blame Democrats for delays. Neither party seems to recognize the real culprit in all of this drama is a new virus to which no one is immune. So it really doesn’t matter what either party says or does, we were in trouble from the start. Every decision was a bad decision. Pandemics are like that. 

We lifted Germany and Singapore as the best models of how to avoid the spread of the virus. The spread appears to have been delayed at best. Their numbers have drastically increased in the last few weeks. So, I’m not sure anyone could do anything about what has happened. At best, we could flatten the curve as governors, and country leaders tried to do in various ways, some more successfully than others perhaps, but none have beat the bug. 

The question I’ve been asking myself through these bad news stories is, what good can we find in this pandemic? One important thing I’ve discovered, our priorities changed quickly. Not many ask, “When will I see my football team play again?” Or complain about the dress code at school. Suddenly, those invisible people in factories and hospitals like the janitorial staff become heroes keeping us safe. Teachers and healthcare workers become more important in the eyes of the public than the multimillion-dollar movie stars and sports figures. We find out the researcher behind the microscope is much more important to us than the newscaster in front of the camera. 

In the past, we made gods of the wrong people and the wrong things. In this country, wealth, fame, position, power, became gods to us. We worshipped these without saying so. These became the most valued things in our lives. The pandemic is the great equalizer for all of us, though. Wealth doesn’t keep you safe. Nor does fame or position or power. When the virus decides to strike, it will invade and destroy whomever it chooses. 

Paul visited Athens in his missionary journeys and found the same problem there. The Athenians had more visible representations of their gods, but our worship of things other than the true and living God is no different than theirs. Here is what Paul had to say, recorded for us in the Book of Acts:

So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with.

“The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn’t live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn’t take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don’t make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek with us. He’s not remote; he’s near. We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’ Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it?

“God overlooks it as long as you don’t know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he’s calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-31 TM)

Perhaps in this pandemic, we can take some time to reflect on what is most important in our lives. Before we get back into the mad rush of life and everything opens up to a new normal, maybe we can take inventory of our before COVID life and ask ourselves, on what did I focus my attention? To what did I give my allegiance? What was most important to me if someone watched how I spent my time and my money? Could others see that I genuinely worshipped the God of all creation? Did my behavior show that He is more important to me than everything else in my life? 

It’s not too late to figure out God is calling each of us to a radical life change. He wants to renew an intimate relationship with His highest creation. Jesus introduced Him as “Abba,” a close, personal term for father, like Daddy. But He also reminds us that Abba is the creator of all things, the Almighty, the Master of the Universe. 

While we are enclosed in our homes, blocked from the rat race that consumed us before COVID, maybe it’s time to look for God. He doesn’t play hide-and-seek, but He is God and desires us to come to Him understanding who He is—God. When we find Him, when we worship Him, He brings to our hearts an indescribable joy and peace even in the middle of events such as these. Will He remove us from the pandemic? Probably not. We suffer alongside the rest of humanity, but we live with hope, and that’s the difference.

What is your god? Better yet, Who is your God? Discover Him while you have some time on your hands. 

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked TM are taken from the THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH (TM): Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH, copyright©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

A New Pandemic, April 13, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

It seems like all we hear about these days is the coronavirus. 80% or more of the news stories talk about it. Conversations on the phone or in emails or wherever you might find yourself (at home, hopefully), continually focus on the dreaded little organism that begins to touch so many lives around the world. 

Unfortunately, the crisis isn’t over by a long-shot. The scientists tell us the first wave might be slowing in some parts of the world, but there will be another wave that comes through, and in the United States, we haven’t seen the peak of our first wave yet. The numbers seem to climb relentlessly. It is the way of pandemics. 

My podcast today is starting to sound like a lot of gloom and doom, I know. But there is good news ahead, I promise. We can compare this pandemic to others that have torn through the world and see that many have been far worse. The Spanish flu killed an estimated 25 million people in 1918 and 1919. The Black Plague took away about 25% of the total population. Smallpox wiped out entire tribes when introduced into communities without immunities. 

We hear more about this one because of our instant global communications. And don’t get me wrong, the numbers of people affected by the current crisis are enormous, but we misuse the word unprecedented. Pandemics have happened before and on a greater scale than we’ve seen so far. Partly, because we understand the mechanisms by which viruses spread, and we are taking precautions through social distancing, wearing some protective gear, disinfecting high touchpoints, and so forth. We are battling the bug, and although it may look like we are losing in many areas, we really are doing a much better job than in decades and centuries past. Keep up the rules the CDC has given, and we will get through this.

The best news today, though, comes from the correlation I find from the pandemic and the Easter message. You see, as I mentioned before, pandemic comes from a Greek word that means all people. And that’s who Jesus came to save. Listen to a short sermon Peter gave to a group of people gathered in a Roman centurion’s house in Caesarea. It’s found in the book of Acts, Chapter 10.

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ–he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:34-43 NIV)

The coronavirus shows no partiality. It doesn’t care what country you call home. It doesn’t care about your race or religion or socioeconomic position. You can’t buy your way away from it. You can’t wish your way out of it. Pandemics are indiscriminate in their advance through communities. Pandemics, like the word implies, affects all people. 

Jesus came to change the lives of all people. In his words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16 NIV) Whoever is all-inclusive. No one is left out.

Peter reiterates that message when he says, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Peter’s message to Cornelius and all of us reminds us that Jesus came for all of us. He does not discriminate. Regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, nationality, political party, or any other characteristic that seems to divide us, Jesus accepts everyone who believes in him for forgiveness for their sins. His redemption encompasses all believers everywhere. 

I would so like to see a different pandemic in our world today, not one that causes fear and illness and death. I don’t want to experience another pandemic that takes the lives of thousands or causes us to continue our social separation. I’m not anxious to go through another crisis that causes our medical systems to collapse and panic to race through our societies. 

The pandemic I’d like to experience, remember the Greek word meaning all people, is one in which we all understand Jesus is Lord, repent, and follow him. Can you imagine what kind of world that would be if it happened? No more theft. No more lying. No more deceit. The covetousness that drives people to destroy others to gain their own wealth would stop. Drug addicts would find healing because drug pushers would quit their businesses. All the illegal activities across the world would come to an end. People would care for each other and show God’s love toward each other. Can you imagine such a place? Can you imagine a pandemic like that? It’s that prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” – a pandemic of God’s will here and now.

Stay safe and may God bless you richly.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day. 

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

Pentecost, June 10, 2019

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

One of my kids lives in a little town in Texas called Bandera. It has this big sign as you come into town that announces that it is the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” Throughout the week, the population in the little rural town is less than a thousand, but when events happen around their claim to fame of being the cowboy capital, the place can burgeon up to 30,000.

I think of that little town and what happens there and can picture what Jerusalem must have been like on the three pilgrimages the faithful Jews took each year. The Roman soldiers had their hands full when these things happened. Jews from the known world gathered as the Torah required.

It was true at the previous festival, Passover. Extra soldiers were everywhere because of the festival. Visitors were packed into every space and all the surrounding villages. Tension was high then because riots were not uncommon. The Jews didn’t particularly want to be under the rule of a foreign government, but they were. The religious leaders wanted to rule the nation as the Torah demanded. The nation blew it when they put Saul on the throne and the religious leaders thought they could fix it.

They wanted power. They had power since they had the ear of the representatives of the Roman rulers. But the common people didn’t particularly care for the Romans. Now Jesus came along, and tensions got even higher. Another rebel. Another potential bonfire about to ignite. The soldiers would be the ones put in the middle to quell the violence if it happened. They would stop the violence with overwhelming violence of their own.

The Nazarene caused more than just tension that last Passover. The man called Jesus had a following, but the Roman’s crucified him at the bequest of the Jewish leaders. But now there was this group that saying the man wasn’t dead. This bunch of uneducated followers said they saw him rise up into the sky on clouds and saw angels who told them he was coming back. So now, instead of just one to worry about, there were dozens. No doubt the Roman soldiers were worried about this new influx of visitors into the city.

We’re talking about Pentecost, one of the three pilgrimages in ancient Judaism that brought thousands of Jews into the city of Jerusalem. Also called the Festival of Weeks, they celebrated the wheat harvest and the anniversary of God giving the Torah to Moses. The city burst at the seams with people. But in the middle of all the crowds, there was a small group that wanted something special to happen. Jesus told those who watched him ascend into heaven they should go to Jerusalem and wait power.

They had no idea what that meant at the time. Those 120 knew Jesus promised power but had no idea what it looked like or felt like. The disciples watched Jesus perform miracles time after time. They listened to his words in public and private. They sat at his feet for more than three years and watched him every day. But still didn’t know what to expect. Still, they followed Jesus’ command and waited. And in doing so, they followed his example and prayed while they waited.

A hundred twenty of those followers prayed in the upper room of one of the buildings in Jerusalem. Here’s what Luke said happened in Acts chapter 2.

A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next. All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.

Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. They are shocked and amazed by this.

Pilgrims: Just a minute. Aren’t all of these people Galileans? How in the world do we all hear our native languages being spoken? Look—there are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Judeans, residents of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians and Libyans from Cyrene, Romans including both Jews by birth and converts, Cretans, and Arabs. We’re each, in our own languages, hearing these people talk about God’s powerful deeds.

Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,

Pilgrims: What does this mean?

The sound of wind, the appearance of fire, speaking and hearing languages never known before. Power! Incredible deeds about to be done. Jesus told them they would do more than he did after he leaves and God’s spirit comes. These 120 begin to do incredible things. They burst out of the room ready to talk about what happened to them. They spread the word about Jesus. They felt compassion for those around them. They wanted others to know about the love they felt for all of those God created.

So that from the fifteen languages noted from at least as many countries these men and women began to disperse among the crowd and tell these pilgrims they came to the right place to find freedom. Not freedom from Rome, because that kind of freedom doesn’t really matter. They told of freedom from the guilt of sin. The blood sacrifices in the temple did so little, but the perfect sacrifice by the son of God, Jesus, frees us completely.

These men and women began doing things people could not explain. Why would they give what they had to others? Why would they associate with the low-lifes of the city and do things that would pull them up? Why would they promise hope to those who really had no hope in this life? Why would they promise forgiveness to those caught in the act of things everyone knows is wrong? Why would they talk about peace in the middle of this city bursting with soldiers ready to kill anyone who looked at them cross-eyed?

How do you explain Pentecost? You can’t except to say the church was born when the Holy Spirit fell on those 120 faithfully waiting for something to happen. And when it did, they were never the same. They began to execute the mission Jesus gave them on the mountainside the day he ascended into heaven. The power he promised became evident as they moved throughout the city and country and world. The power of God’s spirit moving through the lives of his people has changed the world.

Jesus said something would happen when those 120 waited for it. The same is true today. When we earnestly seek the holy spirit in our lives, he comes and resides not just with us, but in us. When he does, the powerhouse that raised Jesus from the dead on that first Easter, is the same powerhouse available to us to live in a world full of those who need God in the worst way.

We celebrated Pentecost this week. Enjoy the celebration. Stop and remember what it is about. Give thanks for the promise Jesus made to those gathered around him and the fulfillment of that promise 50 days later as God’s spirit rushed through that room touching the senses of those gathered there. The world has changed because of that day. You can be changed, too. Wait and pray.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Does God Answer Prayer? May 13, 2019

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Saul became Paul after a miraculous conversion. Last week we talked about how that conversion came about. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad I read about how it happened instead of participating in that particular mode of inspiration first hand. I’m glad Jesus gives us enough examples and heroes of faith in our lives to let us believe in him without having to go through what those early believers went through. But some of their experiences do raise some questions for us today.

We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His word tells us that and we know he is truth. He does not lie, so we know he doesn’t change. Jesus also told those that followed him that they would do more than they saw him do when he walked this earth. He healed the sick. He made the lame to walk and the blind to see. He healed lepers and all kinds of illnesses. He even raised the dead to life. Then we see some glimpses of what he told his disciples.

Peter and John headed toward the temple and saw a beggar who had been lame since birth. The man asked for alms, but instead they gave him new legs. He stood on his two feet and followed them into the temple praising God for his healing. And today’s lesson from the scripture gets even better. Luke in his letter to Theopolis writes these words found in Acts chapter 9.

9:36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.”

So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.  Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Jesus told his disciples they would do more than he would. Now here is Peter raising Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead, just as Jesus raised the Centurion’s daughter from the dead or Peter’s mother-in-law, or the widow’s son in Cana, or Lazarus. Can you imagine what that must have been like to be in that house when Peter ushered everyone out of the room, prayed for her life to be restored and then walked out of the room with her?

Can you imagine the uproar in the city when the news spread that one of those followers of that rebel, Jesus was doing the same things he did? Can you imagine what the religious leaders were thinking in those back rooms of the temple when they heard the news? They thought it was over. They figured with Jesus dead and gone, the miracles would stop. They figured that even if the claims they heard about the man were true, at least it was over now. He was gone and only his followers were left. The miracles were over and only words were left behind. These guys knew how to debate. They could win the arguments.

But then… The lame started walking. The blind started seeing. The deaf started hearing. The lepers came to these followers. Now Tabitha who every claimed was dead, was walking around saying Peter claimed the Holy Spirit raised her in the name of Jesus, the man they crucified. What were they to do now? It wasn’t over after all. It looked like this might just be the beginning.

We know the rest of the story. The church grew from the eleven gathered in the upper room the night of the resurrection to the 120 gathered in a room together on Pentecost to 3,000 the next morning after the Holy Spirit settled on the people in that room and set their hearts on fire. Then within less than a decade, the church had grown to more than 100,000 across an empire that was out to destroy them because they were “atheists” believing in only one God, not the pantheon of Roman or Greek gods the major religions of the world believed.

The small band of disciples were God’s plan to spread the message. It’s unbelievable that God would use such a crazy plan to get his message across to the rest of the world. But 2000 years later, it appears he had no backup plan. This was it. Come to earth in human flesh. Gather a dozen uneducated men from various backgrounds around him. Teach them for about three years. Leave it in their hands after giving them a spirit of power if they accepted him as their only means of salvation.

What a weird, ridiculous, sure to fail from a human perspective plan. But it worked. The men and women God touches change the world. They are never the same. The men and women God uses to carry his message are transformed and empowered by the same resurrection power that brought life back to the dead cells in that broken body that lay in the tomb Joseph lent to Jesus for three days. That power that enables men and women to do the impossible not because of their ability, but because of God using them as an instrument of his will.

When we allow God to do whatever he wants to do through us, God-things happen. The unexplainable takes place. Things that impossible when viewed from the perspective of human knowledge and human ingenuity happen when God powers the task instead of us. Jesus’ declaration that we will do more than he did comes true when an army of believers allow themselves to be catapulted into the community empowered by his spirit breathing his love into the world.

So where do we see these miracles taking place, you ask. My answer is everywhere. We too often go the doctors and give all the credit to science when someone is healed. But take a look at some of the statistics for the healing processes. Why are some healed and some not? Why do medications work for some and not for others? Why do some come back from the brink of death and some slip away without recovery? Are miracles happening? Yes.

But does that mean God is answering prayers for some and not for others? Not necessarily. First, remember that God answers the prayers of believers. Always. He answers the request for forgiveness of the truly repentant. Always. But does that mean he answers our requests the way we want? Not always. Sometimes. I expect Peter had prayers answered in ways he didn’t really want at times. I expect he didn’t want to go to Cornelius’ house and eat pork. But he did. I expect he didn’t really want to associate with many of the people he learned to love later as he prayed alongside Jesus.

Many of his prayers were not answered the way he wanted as he saw his fellow disciples tortured and crucified. Peter was changed at Pentecost and in his writings we know he learned to accept and understand suffering and the way of the cross in this world, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed it. It doesn’t mean he, like us, didn’t pray for release from some of the pain the way of the cross brought he and his fellow believers. Even Jesus asked for another way. But the Father didn’t answer Jesus’ request the way he wanted either.

We don’t understand why God answers prayer the way he does. Does that mean prayer isn’t effective? No. It means we don’t see the way God sees. It means we don’t have infinite wisdom. It means we can’t see beyond the bend in the road. Last week, another school shooting in Colorado took the life of one and injured eight more. Did God do that? No. Did God not answer prayers to keep our children safe? He answered them, but perhaps not in the way we expect. I think we sometimes use prayer as a wish list and think we can demand God to do what we want because we are his children.

I seldom did what my kids “demanded.” I hope you didn’t either. We need to learn at an early age we don’t control most of what happens in this world. Demanding what we want usually only causes trouble. Good parents know that and don’t give in to their kids demands. I sometimes did what my kids asked of me, but as a parent, I most often did what I thought was best for them. If what they asked didn’t fit that category, I often said no. They didn’t understand then, but as parents themselves, I see them doing the same with their children. Why? Because we want what is best for our children.

So why does God think some good thing like keeping shooters out of school is bad? I’m sure he does. I’m sure he would love to have Adam and Eve back in the garden having never touched the tree in the middle he told them not to touch. But Adam and Eve were given the ability to choose for themselves the path they would take. And they chose to disobey. They could not choose the consequences, though. Their act disrupted the cosmos. Not just their lives, but the entire universe. God’s highest creation disobeyed and that act rippled through the heavens.

Now we live in a world in which God does not isolate us from evil. He doesn’t put us in a bubble and protect us from everything bad that could happen to us. Instead, when we choose to follow him, he puts his spirit in us and asks us to let his power in us help us live like he did when he was living in the flesh. Still bruised, broken, misunderstood, hated, even crucified. But empowered to love the unlovable. Empowered to share hope to the hopeless. Empowered to forgive when the world thinks there should be no forgiveness.

Does God answer prayer? Yes. Does it change circumstances? Sometimes. But more often it changes me and you. Keep praying that God will use you and make you more like him. That’s the right prayer and he always answers.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Feeling alone (Acts 18:9-10), May 8, 2017

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Today’s Podcast


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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Topic Introduction with headline.
  3. Scripture
    1. Acts 18:9-10
    2. The Lord: Do not be afraid, Paul. Speak! Don’t be silent!  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.
  4. Devotional
    1. Have you ever been in a crowd of people listening to someone spout of something you knew was wrong but noone spoke up?
      1. Hitler’s speeches
      2. Terrorist rhetoric
      3. General wrongdoing/evil action
    2. We think we’re the only one in the crowd and are afraid of what the crowd might do to us if we speak up
      1. Usually not the only one
      2. Usually others in the crowd feel the same way but are also afraid
      3. Usually just need someone with the courage to start that chain reaction of good will to stand up against evil
    3. Will standing up against evil always put the crowd on your side
      1. No
      2. Jesus was crucified
      3. Paul was martyred
      4. Many have lost their everything they owned and some lost their lives for speaking up for Christ
      5. But the courage to speak up always has positive consequences
    4. Look at what Stephen’s martyrdom sparked
      1. Saul an onlooker
      2. Many witnesses saw Stephen’s reaction and thousands wanted to know this Jesus he spoke of
      3. The same has happened when others throughout history have stood up for Christ
    5. Jesus promised His disciples He would never leave the or forsake them
      1. He never fails to keep His promises
      2. When we invite Him into our lives He is with us and in us
      3. He gives us the courage to stand alone in the crowd because we know we are never alone
      4. He is with us, empowering us
      5. Gives resurrection power to enable us to share His message of forgiveness for the asking
    6. Do you feel alone in the crowd?
      1. Think again
      2. Search your heart
      3. You may be the spark that begins a revival fire among those who witness your testimony of God’s grace and mercy in your life
  5. If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Can a leopard change his spots? (Acts 9:10-16), May 7, 2017

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Today’s Podcast


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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. How hard is it to believe someone can change their ways? Particularly someone who has been a really bad character?
  3. Scripture
    1. Acts 9:10-16
    2. The Lord: Ananias.

Ananias: Here I am, Lord.

The Lord: Get up and go to Straight Boulevard. Go to the house of Judas, and inquire about a man from Tarsus, Saul by name. He is praying to Me at this very instant. He has had a vision—a vision of a man by your name who will come, lay hands on him, and heal his eyesight.

Ananias:  Lord, I know whom You’re talking about. I’ve heard rumors about this fellow. He’s an evil man and has caused great harm for Your special people in Jerusalem.  I’ve heard that he has been authorized by the religious authorities to come here and chain everyone who associates with Your name.

The Lord:  Yes, but you must go! I have chosen him to be My instrument to bring My name far and wide—to outsiders, to kings, and to the people of Israel as well.  I have much to show him, including how much he must suffer for My name.

  1. Devotional
    1. It’s really hard to put your trust in someone who has lost your trust, isn’t it?
      1. Convicts difficulty in getting jobs
      2. Embezzlers never trusted
      3. Those who have wronged you never brought into the inner circle or even into friendships
      4. Always afraid they will repeat their actions and you’ll get hurt again
    2. Jesus comes to Ananias and tells him to reach out to Saul of Tarsus
      1. Ananias knows Saul’s reputation
      2. Knows he has authority to arrest followers and knows their destination after arrest
      3. Ananias knows Saul cannot be trusted because of his previous actions
      4. Jesus says go and teach him
      5. What do you do?
    3. You do what Jesus tells you to do!
      1. Might be hard for us to believe people can change but..
      2. Think about the change he made in you
      3. If he can change you, can’t he change the one you don’t want to trust?
      4. Can’t He transform the redeemed?
      5. That’s what He told Ananias and that’s what He tells us
    4. So you’ve been burned by someone who says they are born again and they proved they were not by their actions
      1. Some things to think about
      2. God doesn’t expect us to put someone back into their place of greatest temptation, that would be foolish for them and us
        1. Don’t send alcoholics into a bar
        2. Don’t give embezzlers positions as treasurer
        3. Don’t put temptations in front of those who you know succumb to those temptations
        4. But use their skills
      3. Still, befriend, encourage, teach, help as new members of God’s kingdom
  2. If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Life demonstrates your words (Acts 28:17-31), October 27, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 28:17-31

Set – Psalms 114; Acts 28

Go! – Job 18; Psalms 114; Acts 27-28

Acts 28:17-31
17 Three days after his arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders.
Paul: Brothers, although I committed no wrong against our Jewish people or our ancestral customs, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 The Romans examined me and wanted to set me free because I had committed no capital offense. 19 But my Jewish opponents objected, so I had to appeal to the emperor—even though I had no charges against me and had filed no charges against my nation. 20 I wanted to gather you together and explain all this to you. I want you to understand that it is because of Israel’s hope that I am bound with this chain.
Jewish Leaders: 21 We haven’t received letters from Judea about you, and no visiting brother has reported anything or said anything negative about you. 22 So we are interested in hearing your viewpoint on the sect you represent. The only thing we know about it is that people everywhere speak against it.
23 They scheduled a day to meet again, and a large number came to his lodging. From morning until evening, he explained his message to them—giving his account of the kingdom of God, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets’ writings. 24 Some were convinced, but others refused to believe.
Paul (adding as they left in disagreement): 25 The Holy Spirit rightly spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,
26 Go to this people and say,
“You certainly do hear, but you will never understand;
you certainly do see, but you will never have insight.
27 Make their hearts hard,
their ears deaf, and their eyes blind.
Otherwise, they would look and see,
listen and hear,
understand and repent,
and be healed.”
28 So let it be known to you that God’s liberation, God’s healing, has been sent to the outsiders, and they will listen.
29 Then the local Jewish leaders left Paul to discuss all he had told them.
30 For two full years, he lived there in Rome, paying all his own expenses, receiving all who came to him. 31 With great confidence and with no hindrance, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the ultimate authority—the Lord Jesus, God’s Anointed, the Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The wheels of man’s justice systems ran slow in Rome just as they do now. Paul sat in prison for two years before his case was finally heard and charges against him were dismissed. Yes, he was on house arrest, but that doesn’t mean he had freedom. He still had guards outside his door. He wasn’t free to move about the city or attend the synagogue or do the things he would like to do. His movements were restricted by the court and soldiers ensured he didn’t violate the terms of his arrest.

Paul didn’t let his time go to waste, though. During his days he preached to the guard. Many turned their lives over to Christ. Many learned about Paul’s faith because of their duty to guard him. They couldn’t make him stop talking about his God. They couldn’t leave … and so they listened. And many were convinced.

What was the difference between his brother Jews who went away unbelieving and those Roman soldiers who became part of the church in Rome? The Jews started with closed hearts and ears. They didn’t want to believe anything other than what they heard from their rabbis. Perhaps the Roman guards didn’t want to hear anything different either. But the Jews heard Paul’s words and left unbelieving.

The Roman guards heard, maybe unbelieving at first, but they had to stick around and not only listen, but they watched Paul’s life day after day. And that’s the difference. Every day the guards saw the difference Christ made in Paul’s life that they didn’t see in the lives of any of the other religions around them. The pantheon of gods they worships didn’t transform their lives. The Jews and their traditions didn’t make a difference in the lives of those around them. They just lived by rules. But Paul… He and those like him bowed to Christ were different and their lives showed. The guards wanted what Paul had and listened to learn how to get it.

Do you spend enough time with Me to let Me transform you? Do you spend enough time with those you want to hear the good news to let them see the transformation in your life and see that My message isn’t just words but has life transforming power? It takes both to be effective. Paul let his life show that My message is true. You can do the same.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Wrongs don’t make right (Acts 23:12-35), October 25, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Acts 23:12-35

Set – Job 15; Acts 23

Go! – Job 15; Acts 21-23

Acts 23:12-35
12-13 That morning a group of more than 40 Jewish opponents conspired to kill Paul. They bound themselves by an oath that they wouldn’t eat or drink until he was dead. 14 They told the chief priests and elders about their plan.
Jewish Opponents: We’ve made an oath not to eat or drink until this man is dead. 15 So you and the council must ask the commandant to bring Paul to meet with you. Tell him that you want to further investigate Paul’s case. We’ll get rid of the troublemaker on his way here.
16 Now Paul had a nephew who heard about the planned ambush; he managed to gain entry into the barracks and alerted Paul. 17 Paul called one of the officers.
Paul: Take this young man to the commandant. He has news the commandant needs to hear.
18 The officer took him to the commandant.
Officer: The prisoner named Paul asked me to bring this man to you. He has some kind of information.
19 The commandant led him away so they could speak in private.
Commandant: What do you want to tell me?
Young Man: 20 The Jewish council is going to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow under the pretext that there will be a thorough examination. 21 But don’t agree to do it, because 40 assassins have bound themselves to an oath not to eat or drink until they’ve killed Paul. Their plan is in motion, and they’re simply waiting for you to play your part.
22 The commandant sent the young man home with these instructions: “Don’t tell a soul that you’ve spoken with me.” 23 Then he called for two officers.
Commandant: At nine o’clock tonight, you will leave for Caesarea with 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen. 24 Have a mount for Paul to ride, and conduct him safely to Felix the governor.
25 He wrote the following letter:
26 Commandant Claudius Lysias greets his excellency, Felix, Governor. 27 The accompanying prisoner was seized by Jews who were about to kill him. I learned he was a Roman citizen and intervened with the guard here to protect him. 28 I arranged for a hearing before their council 29 and learned that he was accused for reasons relating to their religious law, but that he has done nothing deserving imprisonment or execution. 30 I was informed that a group was planning to assassinate him, so I sent him to you immediately. I will require his accusers to present their complaint before you.
31 So the soldiers followed their orders and safely conducted Paul as far as Antipatris that night. 32-33 The next day, the horsemen conducted him on to Caesarea as the foot soldiers returned to the barracks. The horsemen delivered the letter and the prisoner to Felix who read the letter. 34 The only question Felix asked concerned the province of Paul’s birth. When he learned Paul was from Cilicia, 35 he said,
Felix: As soon as your accusers arrive I will hear your case.
He placed Paul under guard within Herod’s headquarters.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Sometimes the harshest criticism can come from within the religious sectors of society. People thinking they are acting in the name of their god do the cruelest things to other human beings. Paul experienced it with the Jews who thought he preached blasphemies against their traditions. It’s interesting they forgot their own laws to try to stop him. They plotted Paul’s murder to stop him from talking about a Man who loved others.

Number six on My list of ten commandments given to Moses, the first commandment dealing with relationships outside your relationship with Me and your parents. You would think they could remember that little detail in their dealing with Paul, but these forty men, not just one, but forty, took an oath to kill Paul before before they would eat or drink again. They wanted to get Paul out of the way and would do anything to do it. Even break My most sacred laws, My ten commandments, to do so.

I often wonder how people can make the leap from religious piety to murder or breaking My other laws with abandon they way they do, but it happens more often than I’d like to remember. And it wasn’t just with those leaders of the Temple and synagogues of the first century. It happens in churches all over the world. People have their pet projects or pet doctrines that someone questions or disrupts and suddenly they will do anything to stop the stray voice. Anything! And they will do these things in My name. What irony.

My warning to you, be careful in your conduct. Watch for false prophets, but let Me take care of them. You are not responsible for their punishment or even their banishment from the world. You don’t need to listen to them or let them enter your fellowship, but murder? Hardly. Love is the answer. Grace and mercy are far more effective instruments than those used by people outside My grace and love. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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