Blog – Page 119 – Read Through the Bible

October 18 / Acts 26:1-32

Acts 26:1-32

Yesterday Ben preached from Isaiah 53:4-6, one of the “suffering servant” passages: Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Today’s reading reminded me of that passage: …and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer… (vv. 22b-23a). I can imagine Paul quoting these verses or verses from Psalm 22 directly in his speech before Festus and King Agrippa, testifying to all the Jews present that the Jesus whom he has been peaching was that “suffering servant” foretold by Isaiah. Paul’s defense, Ben’s sermon, and our reading today… Another divine echo!

October 17 / Acts 25:1-27

Acts 25:1-27

I’m amazed at the Jewish leaders’ persistence in bringing their case against Paul: When he [Paul] had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. (v 7) Paul has been in “prison” (possibly “house arrest”) in Caesarea for approximately two years. That is, he has been away from the mission field for all that time. Still, the Jewish leaders bring charges against him.

So, why this intense focus on the part of the Jews? I’m guessing that his mere presence in the area generated that much activity, that much enthusiasm among the Christians in Jerusalem and nearby cities that he was still regarded by the Jewish leaders as their number-one enemy!

And what if – I’m going out on a limb here – what if Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews while he was in prison in Caesarea? What if…? That letter, widely circulated in and around Jerusalem would have set the Jewish leaders aflame!! The arguments in that letter are so strong that many average Jewish followers could have been led to follow Jesus. Wait’ll we get to Hebrews and let’s chat about this possibility! What a powerful legacy Paul left!

October 16 / Philippians 4:1-23

Philippians 4:1-23

I comment on verse 18b in the second link below, but it is worth repeating the end of that comment: “Our small gifts – our time, treasure and talent – are seen by God and they accrue to our account with Him. Our tithes and offerings do not go unnoticed! Christians need to get out from under the burden of required giving and move to the glory that comes from cheerful giving (II Corinthians 9:7).”

Paul comments extensively in verses 10 to 19 on the Philippians’ support for his ministry, acknowledging substantial thanksgiving for what they do for him but also recognizing that they are also blessed by the Lord in their donations. I was thinking of our own church. St. Andrew’s has been enormously financially blessed during its 17+ years. And during that time we have consistently donated every month a tithe of our projected annual Pledged and Non-Pledged offerings. And as one of the larger congregations in ADOTS I know that our pledge to the Diocese is greatly appreciated. We are blessed and they are blessed. That’s how it is with our donations to the Lord’s work. He sees what we do and blesses us for it.

October 15 / Philippians 3:1-21

Philippians 3:1-21

…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on… (vv. 13b-14a) I already commented on these verses in the second link below, but it is worth re-stating. Paul does not want us to sit idly by enjoying our position as believers in Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, and our acceptance of His forgiveness for all that we have ever done. All that is “what lies behind”. It’s good, but Paul asks us to “press on”. I keep remembering that beyond salvation there is sanctification, our growing in the Lord. So how do we “press on”, how do we become more sanctified? I suggest three things, without further comment: our prayer life, our evangelism, and our service. In each of these areas, “press on”!

October 14 / Philippians 2:1-30

Philippians 2:1-30

For the second day in a row, I report that our Men’s Group two days ago called up today’s verses 10 and 11: …at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We were discussing I Corinthians 12:3 – …no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. I mention in my first comment in the first link below that the refrain, “He is Lord” runs through my head every time I read these verses from today’s reading. Our bottom line from that discussion is that anyone saying (or singing!) “Jesus is Lord” with meaning, with feeling, does so by the Holy Spirit within. So if you say it or sing it and mean it, then no doubt the Holy Spirit is residing in you. What a wonderful thought!!

…so that … I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (v. 16b) I can relate to what Paul is saying here. Carol and I have been blessed to see a number of people have their faith strengthened, in some measure through our relationship with them – many of these in the “Read Through the Bible” groups we have formed over the years. Just in the past week we saw a married couple reunited with their daughter – our Godchild – after a couple of hard years between them. We had been praying daily for the parents and our Godchild; we even visited with our Godchild a few months back doing what we could to heal that breach. And now that they have renewed their relationship, …we rejoice; yes, we rejoice! (v. 1:18) But one modification to verse 16b – it’s not pride that we feel, it’s a humble thanksgiving for God through His Holy Spirit working in the lives of parents and child to bring them back together. Glory!

October 13 / Philippians 1:1-30

Philippians 1:1-30

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will … What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed… (vv. 15, 18a) In our Men’s Group meeting last night these verses came up as part of our discussion. We were talking about what people say (about God, about Jesus…) and whether their words are genuine or simply spoken without much regard to what they have said. We so easily/quickly say “God bless you” without thinking much about God’s real blessing upon that person. It’s why I’ve taken to saying “The Lord bless you.” It rings differently than “God bless you” and people respond differently, even meaningfully to me, very often thanking me for saying that. And for me, it is sincere.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. … Convinced of this, I know that I will remain… (vv. 21, 25a) I note in the second link below that I often quote this verse, but again it has real meaning for me. There was an incident on June 29, 2015 when I was driving back in the evening from EKU, having just finished my last class before my (formal) retirement. It’s a longer story, but I felt that I was (if you will) miraculously delivered from serious injury or even death. And while I can’t say that it was “a word from the Lord”, from that point on I have believed that I will live long on this earth. Time will tell!

October 12 / Acts 24:1-27

Acts 24:1-27

So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. (v. 16) Just a quick comment… Paul preaches repentance and forgiveness. This verse seems to indicate that he also practiced the same. One does not arrive at a clear conscience unless s/he has gone to the Lord in prayer asking God’s forgiveness for mis-doings and seeking His will as they move forward.

Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. (v. 17) I would not have known it, but my Study Bible pointed out that this verse is the only reference in Acts to the collection that Paul had organized that he had brought to Jerusalem just a few days prior. Everything else that we know about that collection comes from comments in Paul’s letters. (See e.g., Romans 15:26, 1 Cor 16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–9:15.) Interesting…

October 11 / Acts 22:30-23:35

Acts 22:30-23:35

Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush… (v. 16a) Just five verses earlier we have the Lord speaking to Paul and telling him not to worry, that He had things under control. So He makes things happen in His own unique way. Paul was from Tarsus; did Paul’s sister live in Rome? Nothing is said explicitly about Paul’s sister; maybe she still lived in Tarsus and Paul’s nephew had come to Jerusalem to study, just as Paul had done years before. Three times in this reading Paul’s nephew is referred to as a “young man” (vv. 17, 18, 22). I’m thinking teenager or pre-teen. How could this young man even be nearby to hear this plot? More evidence that he was studying under one of the Jewish leaders…? Did no one of the leaders or from the crowd recognize him as Paul’s nephew? Finally, how could a “young man” get through the Roman security to see his uncle? Then beyond all that, I discuss in the second link below Paul’s influence with the Roman authorities. With his nephew’s message, I’m sure Paul reflected back to the Lord’s words to him the night before. I hope we look back regularly to see how the Lord worked in our lives when we faced difficult times!

October 10 / Acts 22:1-29

Acts 22:1-29

Carol and I are on the road, heading home, and me with a (physically) broken laptop, so no posting today, only my comments from last year imbedded below. Blessings!

October 9 / Acts 21:27-40

Acts 21:27-40

Following on John’s comment from yesterday (the parallel between Agabus’ prophecy as to Paul’s danger and Jesus’ prophecy as to His own crucifixion), today I’m thinking of another parallel between Acts and the Gospels: Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. (v. 30a) Here is one of the accounts of Jesus’ arrest: And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas … came up, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who were from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. (Mark 14:43) Both “mobs” in these two accounts arise from the Jewish leaders – their jealousy of Paul’s and Jesus’ following and their fear for their own loss of power and influence. But then the paths between Paul and Jesus diverge. Paul is now allowed to speak to the crowd while Jesus was simply arrested and taken away. The parallel picks up again later when both Paul and Jesus are brought for trial before the Roman authorities. I wonder how often Paul thought, “This is what happened to Jesus.” If he did think that, then he was consoled that his future was secure – maybe not his earthly future but certainly his heavenly promise.