O Immanuel!

Isaiah 8:5-8; 9:2,7,9b-10,12b-13: "The LORD spoke to me again: 'Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River-the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, O Immanuel!'" . . . . (But) the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned . . . . For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . . . . the zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this . . . . (yet many will) say with pride and arrogance of heart, 'The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; but fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.' . . . . Yet for all this, God's anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty."


The book of Isaiah forms a double entendre of meaning, first giving to its hearers in its immediate context the coming judgment for sin; and at the same time presenting a grander spiritual revelation of a coming Messiah who would bring deliverance to those who would respond to Him as Lord.

To be sure, the Judeans of Isaiah's day were engrossed in their flagrant sins against the Lord; in fact, they had gotten to a point that their rebellious behavior was not something that they would hide in secret. Instead, they would flaunt their sinful ways in public, openly defying the One True God to whom they were called to submit and obey. God had been quite merciful to the Judeans in sending prophets like Isaiah to warn them to repent of their wickedness, but these people had reached a point of such debasement that God would chose to enact His righteous wrath. Whereas God had given to these Israelites the blessing of the "flowing waters of Shiloah" (i.e. the Promised Land), this covenant people decided that they would long after the pagan ways of the Arameans and the northern tribes ("Rezin and the son of Remaliah"). No longer did they want God's best for them; rather, they desired to satisfy the cravings of their selfish, evil hearts. They chose to worship themselves over God, and they decided to shake their rebellious fists in the face of God just daring that He do something about their sacrilege towards Him.

God gave the prophet Isaiah His word of judgment against the Israelites, and of His judgment upon the people . . . a river would sweep over the people with unexpected fury to the point that they would be up to their necks in the waters of wrath with no apparent rescue. Then God ends the excerpt with the words, "O Immanuel!" or (O God with us!). In the seemingly hopeless circumstance in which the people would find themselves, the "zeal of the Lord" would provide a Deliverer to them. This grace would be manifest in the birth of the God-child who would be the "great light" to those walking in darkness. Of course, the prophecy described in Isaiah 9 of a Savior would ultimately be fulfilled in the Christ child born to the world some 700 years later in Bethlehem, to provide salvation to those who would respond to Him in faith.

Still, some will refuse to receive God's offering of deliverance from His wrath. With pride and arrogance of heart, the people will say, "we've had some misfortune . . . but we can provide our own deliverance. We are in no need of a Savior, for we are our own gods/saviors to whom we will continue to offer our worship." They will continue to seek their own sinful ways over the Lord; and in response, God will serve upon them His eternal judgment, from which there is no escape. God will ultimately thrust these people into the "utter darkness" of hell, from where no remedy can be found (8:22); when this point is reached, His anger will not be turned away, but will fall upon these recalcitrant ones for all eternity.

If there has ever been a presentation of the gospel in Scripture, it is found here, for we all are "ungodly and wicked" (9:17), and are thus in need of God's offering of Himself as our Savior. God has paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins through His death on a cross, and His power over sin and death were demonstrated through His resurrection. Now, His offer of grace is presented to each of us, provided that we respond to His offering with faith, repentance, and surrender. For those who would submit to Jesus Christ as Lord, God imparts the blessedness of His mercy. To those who would continue to assert their own quest for lordship and therefore defy God's offering of salvation, only eternal judgment awaits.

May we all regularly reflect upon the offering of God's grace to us, and may this reflection stir within our hearts the desire to honor the One True God.

God Gives His Very Best

Isaiah 60:17: "Instead of bronze I (God) will bring you gold, and silver in the place of iron . . . "



Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of watching a lot of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. And as I was reading the above mentioned passage, I could not help but think about the comparison of the Olympic medals and the imagery of God's provision to us.

Each athlete at the Olympics works diligently to compete at this most prestigious level of competition, and years of training go into each training regimen in order that the athletes are able to perform at a level that would reap an Olympic medal. What I have found noteworthy are the facial expressions of those athletes who were expected to win a medal (even a gold medal), but were denied such privilege for not winning their respective event. As those athletes finished well behind others in the competition, their eyes told the stories of shock, dismay, and frustration, that years of hard work would not be rewarded. As the cameras zoomed in on the winners, the defeated athletes were left to collect their personal belongings and head for the locker rooms. No ceremonial pomp and celebration was bestowed, only the memory that the 2008 Olympic games were a failure and a disappointment.

When it comes to God blessing those who run the race of life, He always has the very best to offer us. His abundant love showers the gift of redemption to those who would respond to His offering of grace. This is the "gold" and "silver" to which He refers in the passage above; for in the text, God is called the "LORD, the Savior and Redeemer" (Isa. 60:16). It is His immeasurable sacrifice through His death and resurrection that brings to us the hope of His very best for all eternity. For those who would surrender to His Lordship, God will become their "everlasting light and their glory . . . . They will be (declared) righteous and will possess the land forever" (60:19,21). Whereas mankind chose to rebel against the sovereign rule of the Lord, God in turn did not reject His people forever. Rather, He offered Himself as the payment for sin so that we might be restored to the intimate relationship with Him. This is THE ultimate relationship for which we were created and to which we are to enjoy forever in eternity. And unlike the performance-based nature of the Olympics, which awards medals based upon what one does in his respective event, God's grace is unmerited and thus not based upon our performance. Grace is God's gift to those who would respond to Him in faith.

Are you willing to settle for anything less than God's "best" for you? If your answer is a resounding "No!" then the way to God's offering of grace is through your response to Him. Surrender to Him as Lord, and get connected to Him through His Word (the Bible) and through intimate fellowship with Him (prayer). You will find that He will direct your path through life in such a way that only His best lay before you. And you will never regret the choice that you have made. No one who puts his faith in the Lord will lose the race of life; by God's grace, all who submit to Him will be declared "winners."

Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Galatians 6:4: "Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else . . ."



The letter to the Galatians was written by Paul to address the attempts by certain Judaizers to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ (see Galatians 1:7). Apparently, these Judaizers had infiltrated the Galatian church, and they had begun a campaign to convince the Galatian Christians that the church had to subscribe to the Jewish/Mosaic religious rites to be granted God's favor. God's grace through His death and resurrection no longer was sufficient for members of the Galatian Church; now, fulfillment of certain religious mandates was needed to receive the spiritual blessings of a "Christian."



In his responsive letter, Paul scolds the Galatians for being foolish, asking them "who has bewitched you? . . . For if righteousness could be gained through the law (and your obedience to it) Christ died for nothing" (2:21-3:1).



When one begins to investigate the reasons why the Judaizers would propagate such obedience the religious laws, one implicitly can see that the propagation of "self" was the overarching driver. After all, if a person could better perform the expected rites/rituals than his neighbor, then he could expect to gain the respect and honor from his peers as a spiritual elite. The Judaizers seemed to have that prideful disposition, for Paul warned the Galatians that these people wanted converts to be "zealous for them" (i.e. to control the Galatians and thus boost their positions of power and privilege [Gal. 4:17]). Paul encouraged the church to stand firm, not letting the yoke of performance-based spirituality enslave them again (5:1).



What is rather fascinating in the latter chapters of the book of Galatians is Paul's comments concerning the true reasons for the Judaizer's interjection of the law. Specifically, Paul sees that the egocentric indulgence in the desires of the sinful nature (i.e. the consuming desire for self) is the source which fuels such behavior (5:16-17). Paul then encourages introspection on the part of his hearers to see whether they are filled with the desire for self-adulation or are surrendered as a true slave to God. The apostle charges the members of the Galatian church to test themselves to see what drives them spiritually, and he suggests that any pride that they may have should be in God's saving grace. Paul discourages any comparisons with others to see who may be more spiritual, for that mentality only breeds competitive spirituality; in the end one person invariably attempts to perform more impressively than his neighbor. Ultimately, focus is drawn away from Christ and upon the individual. This is the most debased form of idolatry.



In our churches today, may we stop comparing ourselves with others, for this mindset breeds envy, competitiveness, and strife. Instead, may we find our identity in Christ's saving grace alone, and live lives of humility, appreciation, contentment, and love toward others. Rather than trying to impress others with our spiritual achievements, may we "carry each other's burdens and in this way fulfill the (true) law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). Let us express our thanks to God by being an agent of blessing to others, lifting them up in a spirit of love (6:10), and let us never boast in ourselves, but as Paul has so eloquently said, "may (we) boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, (through which) we have crucified ourselves to the world and the world to us" (6:14). When we adopt an attitude of surrender to the One True God, our quest for fame and fortune will be killed (crucified) to the will of the Lord, and we in turn will experience the true "peace and mercy of God" (6:16).



God 's Word summarizes this concept for us very well: "The only thing that counts is faith (i.e. complete commitment to God) expressing itself through love." You're not "number 1." You're not to be consumed with yourself. You're not to compare yourself with others. You're to find yourself hidden within the shadow of the Almighty.

Without the Holy Spirit, We're Dead

Job 33:4, 34:14-15: "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life . . . . If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust."


In a somewhat simple but profound way, Scripture presents us with the sobering truth of our utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit for our very existence. If the Holy Spirit determined to withdraw His life-giving breath that brought us to life at the beginning of time (see Genesis 2:7), we would die and disintegrate into the very dust from which we came.

If we believe that we are self-made entities that can wield our own way independently of the Divine One's sustaining power, then we are the greatest fools. It is by God's grace that we have "life, and breath, and everything else" (Acts 17:25). God has chosen to bless us with our existence, for He is a relational God that desires intimate fellowship with the pinnacle of His creation (Matthew 11:28-30). And He wills that our fellowship with Him would continue into eternity. This is why God so chose even before the creation of the world to "lavish the riches of His grace (upon us . . . . of which the benefits will be) put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment" (Ephesians 1:8-10). And what is so amazing about His grace is that He was willing to offer His own life as payment for our sin, even when we were flagrantly hostile towards His Sovereign reign, refusing to submit to Him as Lord (Romans 5:8; 8:7).

In response to the unfathomable gift of physical life and the offering of eternal life by the One True God, we must surrender ourselves to His Lordship and receive His forgiveness of sins. Whereas it was the power of God that brought us from non-existence to physical life, so too it is His "incomparably great power . . . the working of His mighty strength" that will give us eternal life and the blessedness of "his glorious inheritance" (Ephesians 1:18-19).

If you have surrendered to the One True God as your Lord and Savior, then thank Him today that He has given you physical life and the hope of eternal life.

Jesus: Either One's Joy or One's Undoing

Luke 2:11,34: "The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others."



How a person responds to Jesus Christ will determine whether that person will receive God's unimaginable, eternal blessings or His righteous, unending wrath. When mankind fell into willful rebellion against the Lord through their sin against His Sovereign reign, a cosmic verdict was pronounced against humanity . . . and that sentence was eternal death (Romans 5:8).



Because man was not able to justify himself before the One True and Most Holy God, God sought to provide the payment for sin by offering Himself as the only sufficient "atoning sacrifice for our sins" (I John 2:2). Jesus Christ's death and resurrection is the only perfect remedy for our rebellion against God, and God now offers this gift to each person who would surrender himself to the Lord through faith and repentance.



To those who respond to the Lord's gift of grace, God imparts a living hope and an inheritance for all eternity that will never perish, spoil, or fade . . . and it is this covenantal promise that gives the believer reason to rejoice, for he knows that God's grace has been imputed to him (see I Peter 1:3f). With our declared righteousness, we are adopted by the King of Kings into His royal family, to experience forever the blessings of His presence and His rewards.



Conversely, those who obstinately refuse Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will find that the One who today would offer salvation will one day ultimately be their downfall. These damned souls will "perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10). The Living Stone, who once offered forgiveness of sins to those who would trust in Him will at the end of time become the Rock that will crush the defiant ones (see I Peter 2:4ff). Jesus will come "from heaven in a blazing fire with his powerful angels (and) He will punish those who do not know (Him) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The choice of whether Jesus will be one's joy or one's downfall is available today to all who are alive. As the Scripture says, "now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Surrender your life to the Lord so that His abundant joy will be given to you.

Relationship Over Ritual

Mark 7:3-8: "The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles. So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, 'Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with unclean hands?' He replied, 'Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.'"

During the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, many of the Pharisees and other devout Jews in the Palestine community were very good at keeping the ceremonial rituals of their religious tradition; tragically however, their hearts were completely devoid of any desire for intimacy with God Himself. In effect, these people fell into the trap that ritual participation was equivalent to spiritual maturity and Divine acceptance. Thus going through the motions of worship was the ultimate goal in the people's spiritual lives.



Joachin Jeremias in his book, Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus, suggests that many of the Pharisees were commoners, who did not have the societal recognition that the Sadducees (i.e. the nobility) had. In order that they might be venerated to places of high honor in the community, many of these Pharisees developed strict ascetic practices which few people could complete, unless they fully committed themselves to the Pharisaic ideals. And once the Pharisees began to receive the praise of men for their "godliness," they began a public campaign of promoting their "spirituality" so that all men would recognize their esteemed religious position within the community.



Jesus actually pronounced a woe or lament against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:5-7 by saying, 'Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them, rabbi.'

There is a certain irony to the Pharisees wearing their phylacteries and robes with long tassels in public for self-propagation. In the phylactery boxes worn on the forehead and hand were pieces of vellum with inscriptions of Exodus 13 and Deuteronomy 6. In these passages, God communicates to His people that deliverance only comes through God Himself, not man's accomplishments . . . therefore all praise is due to the Lord, not man. Tragically, the very scriptures cited by God to warn mankind of the sin of personal pride were placed upon the heads and hands of these newly religious elite to draw attention to themselves.



In addition, the tassels on a person's garments were commanded by the Lord in Numbers 15 to remind the people that the Lord alone was to be worshipped and obeyed . . . and that people were not to pursue the "lusts of their own hearts and eyes." The Pharisees turned wonderful reminders of the Lord into opportunities to elevate themselves by making their garment tassels extra long. Somehow they believed that the longer the tassel, the more impressive the presentation to others in the community.



Even though the Pharisees made a rather impressive presentation to the Jewish community, Jesus called them hypocrites. The systemic problem with the Pharisees was pride; they had found a niche through religious asceticism that brought public commendation, and they feasted on the attention. Jesus challenged them to see that rituals do nothing to gain God's favor, for God is more interested in a heart devoted to Him as Lord. Of course, these Pharisees would target Jesus to destroy Him, for He challenged their positions of esteem that they had passionately pursued and obtained . . . they were not going to give up their personal glory. Eventually, these Pharisees would be instrumental in sending Jesus to the cross.



We in the Christian community must remember that ceremonial rituals are fine as long as they do not become a source of pride that would be used to elevate ourselves above the One True God. Our identity is not found in the religious practices that we observe; rather, our identity is found in our surrender to the Lord of Hosts as our Savior and Master. This is the worship that God desires.



D.A. Carson has said it well when he said, "Christ is as displeased with those in His Church, who demand unquestioning submission to themselves and their opinions and confuse a reputation of showy piety with godly surrender, as He ever was with any Pharisee." Let's not be modern-day Pharisees; let's serve the Lord humbly and purposefully . . . allowing our religious practices to be instruments through which we can direct our praise and thanksgiving to the One who rightfully deserves such attention: the Lord Jesus Christ!

Seek God When Wronged

Proverbs 20:22: "Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you."

Our tendency when we are wronged by others is to return the favor to them. If we perceive that someone has treated us unfairly, we want them to experience the same pain and embarrassment that we ourselves have had to endure from them. We might even allow a spirit of bitterness to feast upon our soul to the point that we would wish evil for them. If we look deeply enough, we may find the reprehensible bitterness and resentment of our hearts towards those who have hurt us.

No matter what has been done to us, we must remember that God is the ultimate Vindicator. He is the one who will bring deliverance to us for the wrongs perpetrated against us. Rather than harboring resentment and hatred for those who hurt us, we need to pray for them, "so that (we) may be sons of God the Father in Heaven" (Matthew 5:44). Our prayers should be saturated with pleadings of supernatural involvement in our lives and the lives of those who have hurt us, for we know that God desires all of us to experience the power of healing and deliverance that comes through intimacy with Him.

What I am not saying is that we are to condone the evil behavior perpetrated against us; in fact, we may need to distance ourselves from those who would continue to abuse their relationship with us . . . and unfortunately this "distancing" may have to be long term or even permanent. Still, we are able to pray for them, asking the Lord to bring deliverance.

The hope that we have through the power of the Holy Spirit is the ability to overcome any painful experience that we have incurred from others; and in turn we are able to transform that pain not only into triumph in our own lives, but opportunity of ministry to others as well.

Be encouraged through God's Word, for it tells us that if we wait on the Lord, He will deliver us from the painful encounters of life.

Wickedness Burns Like Fire

Isaiah 9:18: "Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke."

The imagery of a wildfire is an effective analogy presented by Scripture to help us appreciate the severity of impact that a rebellious, wicked spirit can have in our lives. Many of us have had the opportunity of seeing on television a breaking newscast of an uncontained fire, racing across an arid landscape. Hopeless are the faces of the people who live in the path of the blaze, wanting to find protection for their property from the approaching inferno, but being helpless to stop its advances.

I think that we can learn several things through the Scriptural analogy of wickedness and fire:

First, we can see that the fire "consumes briers and thorns . . . (setting) the forest thickets ablaze." One thing that a fire needs is fuel to burn; it feeds on any dry vegetation in its path in order to spread itself as far as it can. When combustible materials are absent, the fire loses its ability to endure and eventually burns itself out. We must remember that God calls us to live lives of obedience and submission to Him. Therefore, what we must do is remove anything in our midst that could be used as a fuel source for wickedness. That source may be an enticing temptation; a negative disposition toward the Lord, others, and/or our circumstances; or it may be a general lack of faith in God and His promises. Nonetheless, we must remove those ingredients that would fuel the flames of wickedness in our lives.

Also, we can observe that a fire "consumes" everything in its path. It is overwhelming for those called to assess the utter destruction of a fire after the blaze has passed through an area; nothing is left but the charred remains of those things that once were beautiful and precious. We can see a similar impact of a rebellious spirit, for such a spirit scorches all persons and opportunities that are in its path. The losses can be quite severe: lost marriages, neglected children, abused friends, lost dreams, loss of God's blessing, painful consequences, et al.

We can see in Isaiah 9 that the wickedness of the Israelites brought such a level of calamity upon their people, that they would not soon recover from the devastation. These Israelites would see the invasion of their land by their ruthless enemies (9:11); they would see the death of many of their people (9:17); and they would be deprived of many of the necessities of life (9:20). God chose to remove His Divine blessing from His people because they forsook their allegiance to Him as their Lord and Savior. Their wickedness ultimately burned up the blessings of the Lord.

God's Word is very intentional at teaching us of the perils of a disobedient spirit against the One True God. Now that we know the utter destruction that comes from such a disposition, we would do well to avoid such a path of wickedness and rather surrender our wills to the One who loves us beyond our comprehension and desires to shower us with the rains of His blessing . . . It is the Lord who provides us with protection from the destruction of wickedness, and it is the Lord who can take our scorched lives and restore them again to the beauty they once were .

To Whom Are You Listening?

Isaiah 8:11-13: "The Lord spoke to me (Isaiah) with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: 'Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.'"



Isaiah lived during an era that saw God's chosen people (i.e. the Israelites) living lives of utter rebellion against the Lord. In fact, God refers to these people as a "sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption" (Isaiah 1:4). Although they were great at practicing a formality of religion (1:11-13), their immoral, rebellious disposition toward the Lord's commands revealed their true hearts of disdain for the One True God. God recognized that their arrogant consumption with themselves was the systemic problem that caused their legitimizing any behavior that satisfied their wanton lusts, and all spheres of their lives were conformed to this self-idolizing philosophy. The ultimate tragedy came when the people began to flaunt openly their rebellion; these Israelites began to "parade their sin like Sodom . . ." calling their evil practices 'good' as they prided themselves in their "vast" wisdom (3:9; 5:20-21).



Although these Israelites believed that their strategies would prevail, the Lord told Isaiah that their pursuits would be thwarted. In the end, the Lord would bring judgment upon these people for their irreverence for the Lord and His Law. For this reason, God warned the prophet not to fall prey to the popular wicked disposition of the Israelites. Of course as Isaiah began to decry the evil perpetrated by the Israelites, he became a rather unpopular figure. History records that Isaiah would be executed by King Manasseh for his prophecies against God's chosen people.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the similarities of our culture today with the immoral practices of the Israelites 2700 years ago. We see in our nation, people who propagate attitudes and behaviors that clearly are in defiance to God's Will as recorded in Scripture. And what is tragic is the way in which our culture flagrantly promotes its antinomian behavior . . . even calling it "good." God will not be mocked by such tyranny; He will bring the sin of mankind to account.

We must follow a similar path as the prophet Isaiah, by resisting any temptation to follow the sinful ways of the unrighteous. We must yield ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and follow His commands. To do so will be counter-cultural; still, we are not to fear what mankind might do to us. We are to revere the Lord alone . . . for He is Holy!

When God Calls, He Provides

Acts 23:11: "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'"


It is amazing to see God's hand upon the Apostle Paul as he served the Lord by sharing the Gospel throughout the Roman world. At the time of the citation above, Paul had completed two very difficult but successful missionary journeys. Despite the personal afflictions that Paul endured, the Holy Spirit used the apostle to draw many people into a personal relationship with Him.


In Acts 23, Paul found himself before the religious leaders of Jerusalem, who desired no less than Paul's execution; in fact, many Jews had "formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul" (23:12). They despised Paul for he was propagating what they believed to be the heresy of the Nazarene, Jesus Christ (24:5).


In the midst of these dismal circumstances, Paul remained focused on His calling from the Lord, to teach the Good News of Jesus Christ to all whom God sent to him. Just before the conspiracy plot to assassinate Paul in Jerusalem, the apostle had received a word of encouragement from the Lord, who told Paul that he would go to Rome to testify about God's grace through Jesus Christ. What is fascinating is the way in which the Lord protected Paul and opened the door of opportunity to share the gospel with the most influential people in Palestine before being sent to Rome.


As the 40 men who had taken the oath (abstaining from food or drink until killing Paul) prepared to ambush Paul in Jerusalem, God placed Paul's nephew in the crowd at the right place and time to overhear their plot. The nephew was able to get to Paul, who was being held by the Romans in their military barracks for personal protection before trial. Paul sent his nephew to the Roman commander to warn of the plot, and the commander decided that the situation was too grave to keep Paul in the city. Thus, the Roman military leader devised a quick escape for the apostle. Under the protection of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen, the commander sent Paul out to Caesarea to be dealt with by the Procurator of Judea, Felix.


Felix was intrigued by the apostle and sent for him to hear of the Way of salvation to which Paul referred. Two years passed as Paul continued to teach righteousness, self-control, and God's eternal judgement to come. Eventually Felix was replaced by Festus by the directive of the Emperor Nero (AD 60). Just after three days after he arrived in the province, Festus went to Jerusalem and spent about a week and a half with the Jewish religious leaders, that he might learn of the disposition of the land to which he was called to govern. These religious leaders in turn pleaded with the new procurator to send Paul to Jerusalem, presumably to bring him to trial; however, they had not forgotten their clandestine plan to ambush him along the way and kill him. Festus refused their request; instead, he offered these leaders an invitation to join him on the trip back to Caesarea to bring their charges against the apostle. Although the Jewish leaders wanted Paul in Jerusalem, they nonetheless agreed to travel to Caesarea and present their charges. During the preliminary hearings in Caesarea, Festus, wanting to find the favor of the Jews, offered to Paul the opportunity to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before the procurator; however, Paul was aware of the intent of the Jews and also knew that God still had work for him to do in Rome. Therefore, Paul (a Roman citizen) appealed to Caesar. This was a proverbial "curve ball" not expected by the procurator; he conferred with his council as to the matter before releasing the prisoner to the court in Rome. Still, before Paul boarded the ship bound for Rome, he was given the opportunity to share the Good News of the grace of God to both King Agrippa and Festus.

In this rather descriptive account of Paul's final trip to Palestine, we again find that the Lord was resolved to protect Paul from the multitudinous threats so that he could speak in Rome. This is a good word for us, for we can trust that when God calls us to a task, He will be faithful to sustain us through difficult circumstances to fulfill the calling He has given to us.

Obedience May Involve Hardship

Acts 20:22-24: (Paul said) "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

As Paul was concluding his third missionary journey, he was called by the Holy Spirit to return to Jerusalem to report to the church there what "God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (Acts 21:19). As the Holy Spirit gave these instructions to Paul, He also warned the apostle that hardships were awaiting him in the future. Paul had already been through so much personally on account of his propagating the gospel throughout the Mediterranean region . . . he had been imprisoned and beaten with rods in Philippi, he was stoned in Lystra, and he was threatened with bodily harm (even murder) by angry mobs in about every town he entered: (Damascus [Acts 9:23]; Jerusalem [Acts 9:29]; Pisidian Antioch [Acts 13:50]; Iconium [Acts 14:2,5]; Thessalonica [Acts 16:5f]; Berea [Acts 17:13]; Corinth [Acts 18:12]; and Ephesus [Acts 19:23f].

One could understand if Paul in the flesh would have told the Holy Spirit, "Look God, I've been through so much already for the sake of the gospel. Couldn't you propagate the Good News to the world in a way that would be less costly for me? In fact, I think I'm about ready to retire from ministry . . . . I've paid my spiritual dues to You and now I'm ready to live out the rest of my life quietly and peacefully."

Instead, we see that Paul was not encumbered in His determination to follow the will of God, no matter what it would cost him. Paul said, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." For Paul, the grace of God was too glorious for Him to quit now; he was more desirous of finishing the "race" given to him by the Lord, no matter what it would cost him personally.

When Paul and his companions reached Caesarea (not far from Jerusalem), a prophet named Agabus prophesied rather demonstratively that Paul would be bound by the Jews and given over to the Gentiles for prosecution. Paul's cohorts attempted to dissuade the apostle from going to Jerusalem; but Paul in his confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ exclaimed, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Paul continued with unabashed resolve to press on in his calling from the Holy Spirit, and as prophesied, he would in a matter of weeks be arrested in Jerusalem. As the "whole city was aroused" with Paul's arrival, angry rioters seized him and beat him mercilessly with the intention of killing him (Acts 21:31-32). He was only rescued by Roman troops who were alerted by the Jewish commotion and intervened to stop the escalating riotous behavior in the streets. This scene was only the beginning of a plurality of painful trials that Paul would experience; still ahead were imprisonment (Acts 21:33); assault (23:2); murderous threats (23:12); trial (24:2); shipwreck (27:27); and snake bite (28:3). What is so profound is the last verse found in the book of Acts; in testament to Paul's determination to remain steadfast in his calling, we find these words: "Boldly and without hindrance he (Paul) preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (28:31).

We must remember that God's calling in our lives may not always lead us down the path of peace and tranquility; in fact, God's calling may involve toil and tribulation. What we must not forget is that God's calling is always best for our lives, no matter what personal cost we may have to endure in fulfilling it. God is glorified when we respond in obedience to His commands, and we will receive His peace to press on in fulfilling the commission that He has given us.

It's All About the Name

Acts 19:17b: "And the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor."

There were some incredible events that occurred during the early decades of the early church, as God used men of faith to draw men into intimate fellowship with Him. One such amazing account is found in Acts 19:11-12: "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them." These events occurred while Paul was serving the Lord in Ephesus over a two-year period.

What is important is to know the spiritual disposition of Paul during this period of ministry. By looking at the first book of Corinthians (which Paul likely wrote while in Ephesus), we gain a better understanding of Paul's mindset during his missionary efforts then. One of the first things that one finds in I Corinthians is that Paul was driven by the praise and glory of the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and not by his own quest for personal accolades from his audiences. In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul says that the believer's sanctification comes to those who "call on the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." He continues by saying that the enrichment of the believer is all because of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:5) . . . so that all boasting should be for the Lord (1:31).

Thus, we see that the power made manifest through Paul occurred in his life because he had a reverential appreciation for the power and majesty of God. Paul was not conceited by thinking that the miracles that happened were on account of his superior knowledge or privileged position; rather, Paul knew that the power of God was being accomplished for the glory of God alone.

In contrast, we find that seven sons of Sceva (a Jewish chief priest) attempted to "invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" so that they might impress their audience with their supernatural accomplishments and thus win the applause of men. The Scripture says that as they were attempting to use the Name of Christ to drive an evil spirit from a possessed man, the evil spirit responded to the men saying, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15). In an instant, the evil spirit used the possessed man to beat up the seven sons, leaving them bruised, naked, an bleeding.

God used this experience to gain the attention of the Greeks in Ephesus, for many of them were "seized with fear . . . (and) the Name of the Lord was held in high honor" (19:17). Many of these Greeks openly confessed their sins on account of the Name and destroyed their sorcery scrolls totalling about 50,000 days worth of wages . . . an incredible monetary sum. As a result of this mass act of repentance of the people, "the Word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power."

We must remember that the power of God is made manifest so that people might glorify the Lord and respond to His offering of grace with repentance and submission. God will use believers to demonstrate His power to the world; still, we must remember that the power of God is demonstrated for His glory, not our own. And the more that we are focused on glorifying the Lord, the more He is able to demonstrate His power through us so that men might respond to Him in faith.