[Paul was] saying, “I will return to you again if God wills.” (Acts 18:21)

Today’s lesson from the apostle Paul – make your plans, but accept the unknown, too.  Paul planned to return to Ephesus, but he recognized that might not be God’s will.

Hold your plans loosely in your hands.  When we become too attached to our expectations of how the future will unfold, our focus becomes on our will, not God’s.  Dream and plan and hope and envision… but leave room for the imagination of your Maker.  He is weaving your life into a much larger tapestry of the kingdom, and accepting His will allows us to be intertwined smoothly into His grander vision.

Don’t miss out on His plans because you were so beholden to your own.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

In Christianity, the traits of questioning and examination are praised, not condemned.  There is no such thing as “blind faith” in the New Testament – such terminology is man-made and anti-Scripture.  The Bereans were lauded for their honest skepticism.  The did not accept doctrine based upon emotionalism or traditionalism or cultural preference.  They compared what was being taught to the Scriptures and examining it for truth by comparing it to truth.  They asked questions, they listened actively, and then they made sure to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (see Php 2:12).

We’d better not check our brains at the door if we are going to follow Jesus.  He requires us to love God with all our heart… and all our mind, too.  Christianity asks you to be a critical thinker and a student.  There is no room for a passive faith.  The Word is active and sharp, and those who wield it must do so with diligence and care.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

And when she and her household had been baptized, she [Lydia] urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:15)

Lydia’s hospitality was pushy.  Lydia didn’t wait for Paul to ask for help.  She didn’t sit by the phone waiting for the needy to call for assistance.  She found the need and filled it.  She prevailed upon Paul for the opportunity to be hospitable.

Let our love and hospitality be like Lydia’s.  Find the need; seek it out.  Search with an active eye for the good you can do.  When you begin to look for needs, you will find no end of ways to let your light shine.

Take a long, hard look around the church building next Sunday – consider the lives of those there, and you will see ways you might bring a “cup of cold water” to refresh the saints.  As you drive through your community, read the news, and interact with those in the world around you, view those interactions through the lens of “what good can I do today?”, and opportunities will arise like hidden gems in the roughness of this broken world.

Be like Lydia – be pushy with your love.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls…” (Acts 15:24)

Words can be unsettling.  Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can touch your soul.  It was *just* words that the devil used to unsettle souls in the early church.  It is *just* words that can destroy the church now.

The words we say to each other – do they build up, or do they tear down?

The words we listen to – do they cause us to dwell on good and pure things, or do they stir our hearts up to anger, dismay, or deception?

The words we use and the words we hear have a profound impact upon us.  Choose them carefully.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22b)

If following Christ is hard – you are doing it right.

If living by faith scares you sometimes – you are doing it right.

If “Jesus first” leads to sacrifices and losses – you are doing it right.

If kingdom ethics has caused you to be uncomfortable – you are doing it right.

If a God-guided conscience has forced you to make painful decisions – you are doing it right.

If the devil’s arrows have caused you to stumble or frustrated your progress  – don’t quit. You are doing it right.

The apostles never said it would be easy.  They just said it would be worth it.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay…” (Acts 13:36)

No matter how great or how humble, we all may only serve our own generation and then be joined to the ranks of ancestry.  Just like the earth revolves around the sun, there are seasons for each generation.  As one generation is rising up, another is dying off, while a third is in their prime.

We don’t need to change things forever; just do what good we can while we are here and do our best to serve our generation while we can.  It is a principle of nearness – don’t worry about what is far off; just do what is right in front of you.

It also is a good reminder that we each have a purpose in our own generation.  We have work that He has prepared for us to do.  You were not born in the wrong time – you were born in exactly the right time.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 11:9)

When Peter was told to consider Gentiles holy and worthy of the gospel, Peter’s initial reaction was to recoil – as a Jew, he had nothing to do with the pagan nations.  Peter was used to a stricter separation between Jew and Gentile than what God was commanding.

There is a struggle we face in following God.  There are times He is stricter than we are, but there are also times He is more lenient.  We must learn to bend to Him in both circumstances.  When God asks us to hate sin and leave no room for it in our lives, we cry, “The rules are too strict!”.  When He tells us to show forgiveness or tolerance for the differences among individuals, we cry for justice instead of compassion.

But it is just as important that we not bind rules which go beyond Scripture as it is that we not loose things clearly taught by God.  We must neither add nor subtract from the Word of God (see Rev 22:18-19).  It’s a tough balance… but one that we must seek to strike if we wish to follow Him and not ourselves.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.” (Acts 10:26)

An astonishing aspect to the spread of Christianity is the lack of notoriety sought by the apostles.  When Peter had an opportunity to receive veneration by new Gentile converts, he refuses it.  Paul likewise exhibited this aversion to worship and honor.  Unlike almost every other religious movement in the history of the world, the leaders of the early church clothed themselves with humility and equality to those they were teaching and leading.  How did Christianity spread? It spread by honest, servant-hearted leaders who sought to conform themselves to Christ’s character.

Tired of religious corruption and scandals? Me, too.

Let’s just be Christians.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized, and he took food and was strengthened.” (Acts 9:18-19)

When Paul had gone three days without food or drink, the first thing he did was be baptized.  Don’t tell Paul baptism isn’t important.  Paul was more concerned about washing away the sins of his soul than sustaining his body.

He certainly found it to be necessary.  Paul’s behavior makes me think that perhaps the early Christians knew something about the importance of baptism the modern religious world has willfully forgotten.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites