During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
TO PONDER
I wonder how familiar you are with Paul's missionary journeys? This dream or vision of a man from Macedonia came after a number of failed attempts to go preach the gospel in the Roman province of Asia (now modern day Turkey).
I think that these days we can be so worried about getting our gospel proclamation wrong, that we often opt not to do it at all. Paul, arguably the most effective gospel communicator of all time got it wrong multiple times before he was send, by the Holy Spirit, to go to Macedonia rather than Turkey.
We might very well get it wrong from time to time. We might say the right thing to the wrong person or the wrong thing to the right person. But the Holy Spirit of God is at work in us and it is he who ensures that we are in the right place at the right time to speak his words of hope and love into the right ears. All he asks is that we speak and he will sort out the results.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Help me to remember and recognise that You are the one who creates faith and that my role is simply to be a tool in your hands for that purpose. Free me of the burden of fear when it comes to sharing the gospel and give me instead a burden of love and compassion for those who don't yet know you. Amen
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
TO PONDER
This story in Acts chapter 4, of Peter and John being questioned by the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish council, is a perfect demonstration of the power of the gospel.
If you read the verses of the story that precede today's verse, you know that Peter and John have been called before the Sanhedrin because they had healed a lame beggar at the temple gates the day before. To put some modern day perspective on the situations, they are basically being hauled into the principals office in order to determine what should be done about them, their future literally hangs in the balance. If the Sanhedrin find them guilty of blasphemy or breaking any Jewish laws or customs then they stoned to death.
What do Peter and John do? When asked, they simply state the gospel - Salvation is found in the name of Jesus and no one else.
At this, the Sanhedrin have no response, they are stumped. God's power, the power of the gospel, proclaimed by Peter and John had healed the lame man and also saved Peter and John from those who would persecute and stop them from preaching the gospel. We might think we are proclaiming the gospel to a hostile crowd in modern day Australia but we are not staring down the Sanhedrin. What wonders might God do if his people boldly proclaimed his good news like Peter and James, even in the face of hostility?
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to be bold in proclaiming your word. May these stories of your faithful disciples remind me that your gospel message is powerful and effective and that the gospel message is your power for salvation. Make my life a walking advertisement for the gospel so that many may be saved. Amen
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him [Jairus], “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
TO PONDER
How do you react when you hear those words of Jesus, "Don't be afraid; just believe"?
If you are like me then any time someone says, "don't worry" or "don't be afraid", I immediately look around and begin to wonder what I should be worried or afraid about. The difference with Jesus is that he gives us an alternative... "Just believe".
This is not the kind of 'Just believe it and it will happen' actualisation mumbo jumbo that popular culture and spiritualism want you to practice where you can make it happen by just 'believing hard enough'. This is about believing and trusting in the one who knows exactly what you need and who has the power to deliver. Right here, in this story, Jesus demonstrates his power over the one thing that threatens all of us - death. And, now we have no need to fear, only to trust and believe in him.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, this world is filled with things that threaten and cause us to fear. May the good news of your victory over sin and death give me confidence to live boldly in the face of the evil and dangers of this world trusting you to help me boldly proclaim that good news to anyone who wants to hear it. Amen
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
TO PONDER
How much has God done for you?
When it comes to sharing or exposing people to the Gospel message of Jesus, that is really the only question you need to be able to answer, because that is really all the gospel is! It's the story of what God has done for us. As Christians it is often easy for us to want to 'theologise' and give a properly formulated account of 'the gospel', the message in its purest form and sometimes that is helpful.
However, I think that these days people need to hear something more concrete and practical than the story of a man who lived and died and rose to life again about 2000 years ago. They want a personal connection to that story, they need to see what that story has done for you. The man who had demons driven out of him by Jesus didn't go and share the story of Jesus death and resurrection, that hadn't happened yet! He went and told what God had done for him personally. It was still 'good news', still a gospel message.
So what has God done for you? What is the unique 'good news' story he has given you to tell?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Thank you for all the things that you have done for me in my life, the ones I know about and the things I am not even aware of. Help me to recognise your work in my life so that I may share the good news of all that you have done for me. Amen
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
TO PONDER
I can't remember where I first came across this idea, I think it was most likely a book, but it goes along these lines, 'all of humanity is wired to worship, the only question left to us is what will be the focus of that worship.' I think this is what Paul is getting at in today's reading. God has revealed himself to us in many ways, through creation, through his word, and of course, through Jesus. Yet so many people - Christians included - replace God with something else as the object of our worship, essentially replacing the truth of God with a lie, just as the pagans of Rome did in the time of Paul.
A quick look out your window or at the evening news shows us a similar picture to that described by Paul. In a world which is increasingly turning its back on God, we should not be surprised to see things that have always been understood to be true, now suddenly being questioned. Formal rules and many unspoken rules which existed for the benefit of the community are now being questioned because they are perceived to interfere with the rights of the individual. Long standing definitions of things like marriage and gender are slowly being eroded or changed.
The only response to this is the Gospel. Only the Gospel reveals the power of God to salvation for those who believe. Unfortunately, the people of God have often responded with judgement and hostility towards those who have turned their back on God, not with grace and compassion. As Paul said, 'the Gospel reveals God's righteousness', it also reveals his grace, love and mercy. This then is how we should respond to those who have turned their back on God - with the gospel - that is, with the grace, love, mercy and righteousness of God.
PRAYER
Lord, the world around us seems increasingly divided between those who want to promote different versions of 'the truth'. Thank you for the gift of your word which is ultimate truth. May the truth of the gospel lead me to respond to those who might ridicule me and my faith in you with love, compassion and forgiveness. My my life always be a witness to the gospel. Amen
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
TO PONDER
I once heard a sermon from a pastor who said that excuses are the means by which we justify ourselves. He went on to explain that part of humanity's sinful condition is that we are all 'justification junkies' that we are hooked on the idea of justifying ourselves, our decisions, and actions. I'm sure if you think about it, like I did when I first heard the idea, you will see how accurately it often describes our attitudes and our actions.
What is interesting about what Paul says in todays scripture is that we are all without excuse when it comes to acknowledging God. Even those who perhaps have not yet had the opportunity to hear the gospel have ample opportunity to at least acknowledge God as Lord and Creator as they live in and interact with his wonderful creation which demonstrates his eternal power and divine nature.
If he has left us with no excuses, then he has also left us with no means to justify ourselves. Trying to do so is a pointless exercise. The only justification or salvation we can have has to come from beyond us. This is why the gospel is good news, it is the means by which we are justified - and we don't even need to come up with our own excuses. The only reason or excuse we have for our justification is the all encompassing, self sacrificing, grace and love of God for us.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, your steadfast ,Ove for me never ceases and your mercy is never-ending. Please help me resist the temptation to justify myself when things go wrong or I make mistakes. Help me not to make excuses but instead to turn to you so that I once again can stand in your righteousness which you revealed to us through your son Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection. Amen
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
TO PONDER
Have you ever been ashamed? Maybe you have been ashamed by something you have done or perhaps you have been ashamed by association by the actions of someone else? We usually feel shame when we know we have done something wrong or we have failed to meet a certain standard, whether that standard was set by us or imposed on us by someone else.
So here is the million dollar question, "Have you ever been ashamed of the gospel?" Have you ever held back from sharing the gospel with someone because you have been afraid it might offend them or damage your relationship with them? Have you ever tried to dodge that question about what you did on Sunday that meant you were not free to have brunch with your friends? This kind of behaviour hints that there is something about the gospel that we are ashamed of; something about it which doesn't sit right with the standards and expectations of the world around us.
The reality is that this is absolutely true, the gospel is completely at odds with the world around us. It clashes with the expectations of the world around us because it reveals the power and righteousness of God and that forces us to face the reality that we are not the ultimate authority or power in our own lives. When the world hears that message it highlights the guilt and shame of a life lived in opposition to God. But for those who believe it is the power of God for salvation.
Don't be ashamed of the message of the Gospel, proclaim it boldly and see how God uses it to change the lives of those around you.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the gospel and to begin buying into the 'wisdom' of the world around us. Please help me to not be ashamed of the message of the gospel and to boldly live and proclaim it in every setting. Amen
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
TO PONDER:
It's a passage that I've heard preached at many installation services...a call to Pastors to hold before the people the Word of God whatever situations they find themselves or their people in; to lay foundations that give a solid standing for the people. All of that is true. But this is not just a passage for preachers. The word that is used here means 'announce, proclaim, deliver the truth, make it known, set it forth.' Paul is saying "Proclaim the Good news" - declare to the world what God has already done. Tell them that in the midst of their brokenness, grief, hurt, and struggle, there is a God who loves them and is with them. Make it known that they are not alone, that God has rescued them. Announce to them the treasure of the good news which is for them. It's a call to Timothy and all of us and it doesn't just happen in Church...it happens over coffee, on a park bench, in a playground as families gather, at the bedside of a loved one, over a phone call and in an office.
Proclaim the good news of Jesus in every circumstance of life. Will you find a way to do that today...whatever situation you encounter and whatever place you happen to be in?
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, your Word is such a treasure to me...help me to share it, proclaim it, announce it boldly so others may take hold of that treasure too. Amen.
...but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
TO PONDER:
"That...the cross...it scares me." His face covered with a moko (facial tattoo), Taffy cast a formidable presence as he stood at the back of the Church and pointed to the cross up above the altar. Taffy had gone into the shop across the road to buy a packet of cigarettes and when he came out, he said, "my feet just walked me across the road and into the Church.' As imposing as he was as a man, Taffy was frightened, exposed, and rendered impotent when face to face with the cross of Jesus Christ. Having just been released from jail for assault, and knowing that there were others in the community out for revenge,Taffy was sick of looking over his shoulder and the constant worry about the safety of his family. Face to face with Jesus and his powerful love, demonstrated in the self-giving sacrifice of his life to give freedom and peace and life, Taffy knew that the cross was calling him to a different life, a new life. For a moment, he got it. For as we walked to my car following the service to go to the second service in town, I came face to face with a knife that he pulled from somewhere, in front of his body. "After hearing what you said, I don't think I need this anymore - what should I do with it?" It went into the boot of my car...
Christ crucified was calling him. Offering him to give him more power than he had ever experienced. The power of love, the power of forgiveness, the power of acceptance...the power to live. But it necessitated him giving up all those things that he held on to for security, for worth, for identity; things that were powerless in the face of such grace. The cross was the answer to the struggles he faced...it was also a stumbling block which he couldn't get over...for two weeks later as a Detective questioned me for three hours over the knife in the back of my car, I wept internally that Taffy had chosen the old life and done something with another =knife, that ultimately placed him back in jail for life. Christ crucified offered him more...Christ crucified showed him another way...Christ crucified exposed the emptiness of the life he had chosen...but receiving it was just a step too far for him to take.
Christ crucified... the fullness of the power of God...for all of life. That's the good news we are called to receive today...and called to proclaim. For the cross is all we need.
PRAYER:
Thank you for the cross Lord, thank you for the price you paid, bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came, and gave amazing grace. Help me to proclaim it with my life, for I know it is the only means of life for all people. Amen.