Freedom For Today

Take a moment to read Acts 22:30-23:11 before reading today’s devotional. 

In today’s passage, Paul goes to Jewish court for his Temple “crime” of bringing a Gentile into the Temple, which Paul did not commit. We see a brilliant strategy once again by Paul, who knows exactly who he is up against. He knows the Jewish laws and belief systems inside and out, and he is able to use this intricate knowledge to his advantage.

First Paul proclaims his innocence, after which the high priest orders to have his mouth slapped. Paul argues back, stating that the order of that action is in itself a violation of Jewish law. But he backs down quickly in deference to the law when he realizes he has spoken against the high priest. Paul is interested in proving that he follows the Jewish law that he has continually been accused of breaking because of his ministry to the Gentiles. Then Paul makes a very strategic twist — he states that he is being accused simply because he believes in the resurrection of the dead. He is intentionally splitting the court, playing on the theological differences between Pharisees and Sadducees to get them to fight each other. It works, and Paul is carted back to his prison cell to avoid a violent riot. Jesus appears to Paul that night, encourages him and gives him his next assignment: go all the way to Rome.

Paul has only been slightly clued in to the larger plan with the prophetic words he’s received, but it’s enough. He is able to make one strategic move after another by simply knowing the overall mission and the one next step he needs to take. I know I can get impatient and frustrated when my path seems unclear and confusing. I often want more information about what God is doing than he gives me. But he has always been faithful to show me what I need to do to make my one next right move. And that is enough.

Take a moment to read Acts 21:37-22:29 before reading the devotional below.

Paul has just been arrested, and in today’s passage he speaks to the crowd of onlookers. He shares his testimony of how he met Jesus in a very dramatic fashion while on his way to the city of Damascus. If you haven’t read that story, go back to Acts 9 and read all about it. Paul’s gripping testimony has the crowd on the edge of their seats until he utters a single word: Gentiles.

The Jewish crowd does not approve of Paul’s statement that Jesus led him to preach to the Gentiles. This was a major point of conflict for Jews in the time of the early church because in the past God had told them to avoid relationships with non-Jewish cultures. Why the sudden switch? Did God change his mind about the non-chosen rest of the world?

God is consistent, and his desire to reach the Gentiles was not new. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets spoke of a time when the whole world would worship the one, true God. The Bible often speaks to the way in which God went about revealing himself to the world: first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles. There are a variety of examples of non-Jewish people following God in the Old Testament, like Rahab and Ruth. God’s heart has always been open to those who want to follow him. He had always warned his people not to be affiliated with people and cultures who engaged in evil practices, and that’s still true for Christians today.

Take a moment to read Acts 21:1-36 before reading the devotional below.

You know how everything makes more sense with hindsight? Now imagine that your foresight were as good as your hindsight. You would have knowledge in advance that could guide your decision making. That is the role of prophecy for followers of Jesus. In today’s passage, we see that Paul receives a prophetic word that confirms what he had already received from God himself: he is about to suffer and be put in jail.

The description of Paul’s decision making based on the prophetic words in this passage reminds me of the way that Jesus himself intentionally walked towards the cross. He knew his death was imminent and this knowledge actually caused him to walk into the situation confident that this was the time to complete his mission. In this story, the other believers want to act on the prophetic knowledge in the opposite direction — they beg Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

Paul and the other believers all shared the same faith — they believed in the accuracy of the prophetic word from God about Paul’s upcoming suffering. The group of believers that urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem in light of that prophecy were reacting to supernatural knowledge in fear. Paul responded with boldness and determination. Paul had a choice about how far he was willing to follow Jesus. He could have agreed with the other believers and stayed put. But his conviction to act as Jesus had and walk towards suffering and possible death led him to press on even in the face of danger. God was not forcing that on Paul — it was his choice to follow Jesus way past the lines of safety into the unknown.

Take a moment to read Acts 20:13-38 before reading the devotional below.

Paul, Luke and the other missionary travelers are sailing through the Mediterranean Sea past some islands on the way to Miletus. Because he is being led to return to Jerusalem, Paul summons the church leaders from Ephesus to come to him in Miletus. He has a final message for them because the Holy Spirit has prophetically revealed to him that he will suffer and be put in jail soon.

Paul’s parting message to the Ephesians? “Remember everything I told you. Remember who I have been to you. Remember my character and the truth about Jesus that I shared with you. Don’t let anyone ever take away what God has established.” After a final prayer and a lot of tears, Paul gets back on a ship and says goodbye.

Everything you do for God has lasting fruit. Sometimes we have to say goodbye to people and things here on earth. Sometimes God calls us to something for a time and then he calls us to end that and begin a new journey. These moments are often so bittersweet, and it is important for us to feel both the losses and the excitement for new adventures. But no matter what, God will grow fruit from seeds he has led us to plant. Paul was saying goodbye to the Ephesians — people he had deeply sown into for years — but the fruit of his work there continues to impact us even today. Eternal work always leaves a lasting legacy.

Take a moment to read Acts 20:1-12 before reading the devotional below.

Such a great story in today’s passage for so many reasons. But first things first: notice that Luke (the author of Luke and Acts) shifts his writing to use the word “we” for the trip to Troas. This suggests that Luke himself traveled with Paul and the others listed, so we have a firsthand account of the author’s participation in the trip.

Luke, writing as an eyewitness, tells an astounding story of a prayer meeting that extends late into the night. Now, just a suggestion, when you are at a late night prayer meeting in an upper room three stories high with dim lighting, you may not want to sit on an open window ledge. It did not turn out so well for the young man who ended up falling out the window. Notice in verse 9 it says, “to his death” — Luke, who was himself a trained physician, makes the specific point that the boy was dead. This is a resurrection, not a lucky circumstance.

In the kingdom of God earthly rules do not apply. You’re dead? No problem, here’s life. You’re sick? No problem, you’re healed. You need a miracle? No problem, that’s normal in the kingdom of God. Of course you likely know as well as I do that as long as we live on this old earth those rules do apply and the kingdom of God has not fully arrived. 1 Corinthians 13:12 helps us understand that right now we don’t see the full picture, but someday we will. And in that lies our hope.