Tag: Acts

Dull Heart

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For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

Acts 28:27 (ESV)

This morning I have been reading through the beginning chapters of 1 Kings, where king Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom to govern the people. He desired to have wisdom to know right from wrong so he could rightly govern the people. As I was reading through this and thinking forward to the whole of Solomon’s life, it struck me that even with this great wisdom to govern the people by knowing right from wrong Solomon still strayed from the path of righteousness – the good. Even with this great wisdom to discern right from wrong, Solomon faltered and strayed off the course of faithfulness to the Lord. I paused to ponder this and reflected on my life of seeking wisdom and understanding. My path was to fill my head with knowledge. I too am seeking wisdom. I too want to know and understand the world that God has created. I too want to be granted spiritual wisdom. Then in my reading, I was brought to this last chapter of Acts where Paul speaks about Isaiah 6 and chastises the people of God for the hearts having grown dull, their ears barely hearing, and their eyes being closed. This was Solomon. This is me.

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Go Away

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And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

Acts 24:25  (ESV)

What do we do when we encounter a Biblical truth that runs contrary to our current lifestyle or comfort level with sin? Often, we respond to God in the same manner that Felix responds to Paul after hearing the gospel proclaimed before him. Our first instinct is to remove from our presence the offending words calling us to repentance and faith. Like Felix, we put them away from us so that we may go on about our life as we see fit. To soften the decision we may even tell ourselves that we will think about this later, when we’re ready. I know this is true in my own life. There have been numerous times where the Lord brought spiritual insight and conviction into my heart about a particular sin and my response was exactly the same as Felix. I set it aside and told myself I would work on this at the next opportunity. All because I still wanted my sin more than I wanted Jesus.

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A Beggar’s Heart

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As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.

Acts 13:42 (ESV)

As Paul finished preaching his sermon in Antioch for the first time, the people who listened had this pure and simple hunger to hear the Word of God preached to them more and more. The people were begging Paul and Barnabas to come again on the next Sabbath and preach more. They were not content to just take the experience and move on with their lives. They had experienced something far deeper than a mere encouragement. They experienced the Gospel of Christ and it moved them. They were moved in their heart and soul to beg these men to come again and preach this message. There was now a hunger and a thirst for the Word of God to be explained and applied. They were not going to be satisfied with this one-time emotional moment. They begged to hear the words of Christ. What does this mean for me?

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A Good Man

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Journal Entry // May 22, 2021

When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, [24] for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

Acts 11:23-24 ESV

Barnabas… This is what I want my life to demonstrate. This is how I want those around me to experience the love of Christ. I want to be characterized as a ‘good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.’

That is such a beautiful picture of what the grace of God does to change the heart of a man.

  • When Barnabas arrives he looks at the people and surely sees a group of new believers that are not Jews and were outside his normative understanding of how God works, but his reaction is to see the grace of God being displayed. He takes in the big picture of God’s grace working in the hearts of men and women.
  • And he was glad. Unlike Jonah, Barnabas saw God’s good hand saving the lost and it brought joy to his heart. He saw God working in mysterious ways and rejoiced.
  • He brought a word of encouragement to those around him. He saw God’s work, he let it warm his heart, then he shared this warmness with those around him.
  • For he was a good man… How was he able to do all this? Because he was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. This is the key.
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Fear and Comfort

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Journal Entry // May 20, 2021

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Acts 9:31 ESV

Fear and comfort. It seems odd to find both of these words describing the walk of those in the early church. This is another one of those two-sided actions that should be prevalent in my life. Another reminder of my role and God’s role in my life.

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Glad and Generous

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Journal Entry // May 10, 2021

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Acts 2:46 ESV

I am so very tired of this struggle. I am so tired of feeling down and miserable. I just want God to make an instantaneous change in my heart and put it into alignment with him. Why do I have to fight and struggle each and every moment? Why do I continue to see the light of Christ shining within my heart and soul, but then hide back in the shadows. The shadows of disobedience that still lurk within. These shadows call out to me. They lie to me. They whisper into my head those words that entrap me once again. I am so easily persuaded to be led off the good and right path.

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Battling Sin

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Journal Entry // June 15, 2022

asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.

Acts 25:3 ESV

There will be trouble in this world. Sometimes this trouble will be the consequences of our own sin and error; sometimes this trouble will be unfairly brought against us simply because of our faith in Jesus Christ. I have found it difficult at times to discern the proper way to respond in these situations, because I am conflicted about my sin. I can see that I am being unfairly treated in a situation, but I struggle to make a defense because of my personal sin and failure that has played a part. So I find myself caught at times not wanting to defend myself and allowing the trouble or adversity to prevail as a form of punishment for my sin in general.

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Apathy and Ignorance

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Journal Entry // June 13, 2022

And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

Acts 24:25 ESV

Here in this passage is the response of Felix to the gospel of Christ being taught before him with reasoned explanations for righteousness, self-control, and judgement. Paul articulated the truths of the gospel in such a manner that Felix understood what was being said and the implications of his decision in response. So what was Felix to do with this gospel truth? He was alarmed. He knew that the truth of the gospel had brought him to a point of decision in which he could not vacillate. He needed to accept or reject this reasoned message. Yet, Felix chose to delay. He chose to put this truth out of his mind. Felix chose to send Paul away and remove from  his sight the messenger of this critical point of decision. He chose apathy and ignorance.

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All Good Conscience

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Journal Entry // June 8,, 2022

And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”

Acts 23:1 ESV

This statement from Paul is quite amazing when I stop and really think through what he is saying to the council and the high priest. These are the very people that had used Paul, then called Saul, to persecute the church. So when Paul says that he has lived in all good conscience, it is a sharp reminder that Paul was once one of them but now is a follower of Christ. What interests me the most is that Paul can say he has lived in all good conscience before God. Here is a former persecutor of the body of Christ who is fully aware and has embraced forgiveness. Paul now lives a transformed and redeemed life dedicated to the one he formerly hated and now follows wholeheartedly.

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Who Are You?

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Journal Entry // June 6, 2022

And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’

Acts 22:8 ESV

The church and the people of God, the believers and followers of Jesus are the ambassadors of Christ himself. Each and every person who calls on the name of the Lord is of vital importance. More than that, they are in essence e bodily representation of Jesus himself. The Holy Spirit has come to inhabit and dwell within the heart of each and every person that holds fast to Christ himself for salvation. Each and every person is important, valuable, and distinct. In this verse, we see Jesus not only identifying with those who Saul was persecuting, but was actually the one receiving the persecution.

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