September 25, 2021 — Acts 22:22–23:11

“Paul looked directly at the council and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God to this day.” At that the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” Those standing near him said, “Do you dare insult Godʼs high priest?” Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ʻYou must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.ʼ” Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Acts 23:1-11

The Lord appears to Paul and says, “Keep up your courage!” What helps you “keep your courage?” How do you keep yourself moving forward when it seems like everyone and everything is against you? Max Lucado writes these words: “Do-it-yourself Christianity is not much encouragement to the done in and worn out. Self-sanctification holds little hope for the addict…(and I would add those who have made bad choices and bad decisions). At some point we need more than good advice; we need help. Somewhere on this journey home we realize that a fifty-fifty proposition is too little. We need more…We need help. Help from the inside out…Not near us. Not above us. Not around us. But in us. In the part of us we don’t even know. In the heart no one else has seen. In the hidden recesses of our being dwells, not an angel, not a philosophy, not a genie, but God.”

Paul’s strength comes in his relationship with Jesus. Though Paul showed a lot of spirit and strength when he persecuted Christians, Paul now preaches Christ crucified — the main difference is that his strength comes through the power of the Holy Spirit to believe in Jesus, not persecute in the name of Jesus. There is no other way Paul could have persevered through his shipwrecks, his beatings, his imprisonments, and other setbacks. Paul is a living example of the power of the Holy Spirit working in people.

Let Us Pray,

Lord Jesus, I pray today that your Spirit energizes me, enlightens me, and envelopes me in all ways every minute of today. Amen.

Pastor Dave

September 24, 2021 — 1 Kings 11:14–43    

“…this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ʻLook, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomonʼs hand and I will give ten tribes to you. He will retain one tribe, for my servant Davidʼs sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomonʼs father David did. I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. I will leave his son one tribe so my servant Davidʼs dynasty may continue to serve me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel. I will humiliate Davidʼs descendants because of this, but not forever.” Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.” 1 Kings 11:31-40

David reigned over Israel for forty years, and so did his son Solomon. That number forty has such significance for Judaism, that it must represent a perfect or special number. Today we think of thirty or forty years as encompassing a generation. Solomon began the construction of the Temple four years after he assumed the reign over Israel, and it was completed in seven years. The numbers of individuals forced into labor on the Temple are astounding – seventy thousand laborers, eighty thousand stonecutters, one hundred and eighty thousand in total. The exacting numbers that are given in the biblical accounts, from all of the numbers given to us in the book of Numbers, to the exacting details of the construction of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10 – 22), to the Temple built by Solomon, the exacting details give us a sense of the importance and the significance of Israel’s religious life.

We are still a people fascinated by numbers. In sports, we track records and times and “at bats” in baseball and “running yards” in football, and the number of “Majors” won in tennis and golf. In all aspects of business, we worry about numbers – the bottom line, income verses expenses, sales numbers, etc. In the church, we look at how many people worship each week, how many bulletins to run, how many children attend Sunday school, etc. Numbers allow us to measure progress, trends, and statistics, but can they truly measure the significance of our religious life? Is it right to measure the church by the number of people on the membership roles in a church, or how many people the church is ministering to in the community? Shouldn’t the most important number be how many people hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ first – and then how many needs are being met through the church’s ministries? Something for us all to ponder….

Let Us Pray,

Lord Jesus, you offer us eternal life – without wondering about how many souls we have brought to you, or whether we have perfect attendance in Sunday school. All you seek is a contrite heart and open ears. Help us achieve that today – and every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave