“And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him…” (Acts 28:30)

Evangelism comes in many forms.  In Paul’s case, when he couldn’t go out with the gospel, he made sure the seekers could come in.  The key word is ‘welcoming’.  Paul had an open-door policy while under house arrest in Rome, and his availability allowed him to continually reach the lost becomes those looking for answers found him to be accessible.

Which begs the question: are we available and accessible?  If someone is seeking answers, doing soul-searching, and looking for a welcoming heart to help, would they look to us?  If we are too busy for the lost, then we are not available.  If we are not interested in people and their problems, we will not be welcoming… and if we are never around the lost, we will not be accessible.

Evangelism involves being genuinely curious about the lives of others so that we make ourselves open to them and their struggles.  When our hearts and our doors are open, those who are asking, seeking, and knocking (see Matthew 7:7) might just find Christ through us.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.” (Acts 27:35)

Next time you feel like you are in too much of a hurry to stop and pray before you eat… remember that Paul gave thanks in the middle of a shipwreck.

Perspective.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:18)

One of the primary goals of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to open your eyes to the darkness.  To pretend there is no evil in the world (or at least no evil in me) is the sort of self-deception that Satan revels in.  If we do not recognize wickedness, we cannot flee from it.  Tyranny cannot be overthrown without recognition of its evil dominion.

Satan owns us as long as we give him the power to shackle us to our lusts, our selfishness, and our hunger for power and pride.  As long as we refuse to admit the problem, he happily leads us by the leash of our ignorance.  The gospel reveals the darkness in us, so it might be repelled.

When we open our eyes to our sin, we can flee from it and seek the forgiveness of the Savior.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…but they had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.” (Acts 25:19)

Acts 25:19 is one of those understated gems hidden in the New Testament.  During Paul’s trials, the conclusion the Romans came to was that Paul just had some “points of disagreement” over “religion” and whether or not Jesus was dead.  What the world sees as trivial, Christians view as monumental.

If Jesus is dead, we are the most pitiable of creatures… but if that tomb is empty, it changes everything.  If His tomb is empty, ours will be, too.

The world doesn’t get it.  It’s all religion, spiritual talk, and philosophy to them.  Don’t be discouraged – it’s all theory until we die, and then everyone cares about the empty tomb.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.” (Acts 24:27)

For two years Paul went without justice.  730 days of his life were stolen from him by an unjust system that would rather let him rot for political convenience than give him a fair trial.  What Felix did to Paul wasn’t fair… yet, Paul served the Lord those two years anyways.

Those two years were not wasted by Paul because the system was unjust.  Paul refused to accept victimhood.  Paul strengthened himself in the Lord and preached the gospel more effectively under house arrest than most of us do unshackled.  No excuses from Paul.

Paul redeemed the time and went on to preach to kings.  What could have been lost time was used by Paul as God’s time.  When your plans change and life doesn’t seem fair – look around; you might just have been given some unexpected opportunities.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

And Paul said, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest, for it is written, “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” (Acts 23:5)

Paul apologized for speaking poorly of the high priest, even though Paul had been right, and the high priest had been wrong.  Paul won the argument but apologized for his lack of respect for the office.

If Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, was careful when speaking about rulers of Israel (the same rulers who crucified Jesus), we ought to be mindful of how we speak about our government leaders, too. (I’m looking at you, keyboard warriors.)

We need not condone wicked behavior, but we ought to speak circumspectly and with respect.  It’s a matter of Christian character.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now why do you delay?  Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16)

Many will miss heaven simply because they procrastinated.  Delayed obedience is just another way of saying disobedient.  Can you imagine speaking to Jesus on the Judgment Day and trying to explain why you were too busy to accept the salvation He died to give you?  I doubt that will go over too well.

When you know the right thing to do – do it.  Paul knew he was a sinner, and Ananias knew the answer was baptism.  There was no reason to delay, and Ananias urged Paul to show some hustle in his obedience to Jesus.  Thankfully, Paul heeded the advice!

Procrastinating obedience is a sin.  Don’t get tricked into delaying the most important things in life.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing…” (Acts 21:16)

The only thing we know about Mnason is he was a Christian of consistency.  Long-standing faith doesn’t sit down when the going gets rough.  Long-standing discipleship keeps reaching upward and finding new growth.  Long-standing faith doesn’t come up short – it finishes strong.

Be Mnason – be a long-stander.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner, you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Every day, find a small way to give back.  Jesus has made our cups overflow – let that overflow reach others.

In your life, you will have many opportunities to be a taker, but you will also have many opportunities to give.  But, as Paul said, giving requires “working hard in this manner”.  It takes a special kind of person to understand and see the needs of others and work the extra amount required to meet them.

However, is there anything more satisfying in life than giving?  When we learn to give, we become aligned with our heavenly purpose as servants, and we will often find that the desire to give becomes almost addictive.  The reason it feels good is because we are doing what we were made for.

The devil is a lion that roars and consumes.  Jesus is a lamb who gives Himself as a sacrifice.  Giving is the way of the Lamb.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.” (Acts 19:18)

Why don’t we confess our sins more often?  The passionate believers in Acts 19 confessed their sins and disclosed their practices so that they might be free of those things that belonged to the old man and replace them with the new man built up in Christ.

Yet, this is the double-bind of confession.  When we confess, we disclose our sins, which is freeing… but if we confess, we must disclose our sins, which is terrifying.  We must be vulnerable to be free.

We cannot remove guilt and shame while trying to hide our guilt and shame.  It is only in disclosure that the shackles come off.  Yet, that is a paralyzing proposition!

What if people shun me because of my confession? (Some will.) *Others will draw close with grace and love.*

What if I confess my sin and still struggle with it? (You will.) *But you won’t struggle alone.*

What if my life is never the same after I confess? (It won’t be.) *What if that’s a good thing?

Grace abounds where confession begins.  It is the leap of fear worth making.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites