Intro to Acts 21:17-26

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/31/2018 10:40 AM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Intro to Acts 17:21-26

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 17:21-26

            Message of the verses:  “17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.19 After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 “But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication." 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.”

 

            We have been following the Apostle Paul for some time, he is first mentioned when Stephen was stoned in chapter 7 of Acts, but at that time he was a hater of the church, trying to do much damage to the small infant church.  What he did to the church in causing them to spread out was actually what the Lord wanted to happen as He desired it to begin in Jerusalem and then spread out into Judah and then begin to spread around the world, so Paul in trying to destroy the church was actually fulfilling what the Lord wanted to happen.  We have followed Paul from the time that he was saved on the road to Damascus found in the ninth chapter of Acts, an event that would change the history of the world.  We saw him preach in Damascus right after being saved proving that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, so much so that he had to flee for his life.  We saw him end up in the Antioch, the first place where believers were called Christians, and was chosen by the Holy Spirit to go out into the known world to spread the gospel on the first missionary journey, the first of three.  We saw him suffer much for the cause of Christ.  This humble, intelligent, loving man did things for the cause of Christ that will never be done by one man again as he through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the help of his friends took the gospel to the ends of the known world.

 

            Paul is in the city of Jerusalem to take the long awaited offering that he had collected painfully to the poor church in Jerusalem.  He takes up residence with a Hellenistic Jew named Mnason of Cyprus who was a disciple of long standing.  John MacArthur suggests that this man was saved on the very first day of the church, the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the church.  He speculates that Paul stayed with him since he would not be as strict as the Jews who were raised in Jerusalem, and he also suggest that perhaps it was Mnason who could have helped Luke get information to write about the early church.

            I have one more thing to write about Paul, and that is something that gives me courage to help spread the gospel in the way that the Lord allows me to do so.  I have to say that I believe with all my heart that God chose me before the foundation of the earth as a gift to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as He did all who will come to know the Lord as their Savior and Lord.  I believe that it was Paul who teaches this in his writings, and yet as some say of those of us who believe this “why do you go out and spread the gospel since all who were chosen will be saved?”  My answer to that lies in the life of the Apostle Paul who tirelessly spent his time going from town to town, from country to country spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to seek out those whom the Lord chose before the earth was even made.  If Paul who knew this truth probably better than any human being suffered so much for the cause of Christ to spread the gospel, then why would I not do the same in my work that the Lord has given me to spread the gospel through the Spiritual Diaries that I write most every day, and to be always ready to tell others that the Lord brings into my path about how a person can change his or her eternal address from hell to heaven by accepting the salvation that Jesus has provided when He willingly suffered and died on the cross to pay for the sins of the world.

 

            John MacArthur concludes his introductory comments by writing “Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem marked the end of his missionary journeys.  He would soon be arrested and remain an ‘ambassador in chains’ (Eph. 6:20) for the remainder of the period covered by Acts.  This transitional passage depicts the apostle’s fellowship with the Jerusalem church and the events leading to his arrest.  To capture the features of this monumental meeting, we may divide the text into three sections: communion, concern, and compromise.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:     As I look at the life of the Apostle Paul from the pages of the book of Acts I am learning much on what a Christian should be, and so it is my desire, although I struggle much, to follow what the Lord wants me to be to bring glory to my Lord Jesus Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to read and study the Word of God to be able to help others advance in their walk with the Lord.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Mary” (Luke 10:39).

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Which book of the Bible begins with the word ‘Adam’?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

7/31/2018 11:24 AM

 

 

           

The Courage of Conviction Motivates Others (Acts 21:15-16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/30/2018 10:14 AM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  “The Courage of Conviction Motivates Others”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:15-16

            Message of the verses:  “15 After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.”

            In our last SD we spoke of the many things that we will learn from the book of Acts would not have been there if not for the courage of Paul going forth with his conviction, and as I wrote some of those things that would not happen if he had refused to go to Jerusalem may thoughts were that I had never looked at in this way before.  Paul did not run from the compelling danger that lied before him, but ran into the danger because he knew that the Lord’s plans for him was to go into the danger that lied before him in Jerusalem.  Paul’s courage inspired others to join him as we see in these two verses, his courage was infective, inspiring others to go along. 

            In John MacArthur’s commentary he writes about a day, an awful day that happened during the Civil war.  On a September day in 1862 there were 6,000 men killed in one of the bloodiest days of American military history.  If you also combine the wounded you come up with the number 17,000 men.  James M. McPherson from his book entitled “Battle Cry of Freedom” wrote “The casualties at Antietam numbered four times the total suffered by American soldiers at the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944.  More than twice as many Americans lost their lives in one day at Sharpsburg [Antietam] as fell in combat in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish-American wars combined. 

            MacArthur goes on to write more about this battle, but I think that you will get the point that I am trying to make, and that is that like the nameless soldiers, Paul had the courage not only to face the enemy himself but he also inspired others to do likewise. 

            The courage of conviction does motivate others as great leaders have inspired many people to go out into battles and fight the Lord’s battles.  We see this happened throughout the OT history portion with leaders like Moses, Joshua, and others like King David who inspired his armies to go into battle in order to conquer the lands that God had promised to Israel.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is my desire to stand up and fight the battles of the Lord if and when he calls me to do so.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Babylon” (2 Kings 25:1-4).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who was Martha’s sister?”

Answer in our next SD.  7/30/2018 10:54 AM

PT-3 "The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price (Acts 21:7-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/29/2018 7:19 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  PT-3 “The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:7-14

            Message of the verses:  “7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day.  8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11  And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ’In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"”

            As we begin this last SD on these verses we see that those who were trying to convince Paul not to go to Jerusalem gave up after what Paul stated in verse thirteen.  I want to focus in on the last statement from verse 14 “The will of the Lord be done!”  I suppose that we may conclude that this was a statement showing that they had given up and so that is why they made this statement, but it was not a fatalistic resignation but it was complete trust in God’s sovereign and perfect will.  “18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him’ (1 Samuel 3:18).”  “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42).”  What these people were doing was committing Paul into the care of the Lord.

            I want to for a moment think about what may have happened if Paul had not gone up to Jerusalem.  Well I can say that Paul would not have had time to write the letters that we find in the New Testament if he had not gone up to Jerusalem.  It was Paul’s desire to go to Rome, and if he had not gone up to Jerusalem then he probably would have had to pay his own way to get there.  Paul witnessed to different kings and people who ranked in high places while in prison there, and if he had not gone up to Jerusalem then that would not have happened.  As we continue to look at the rest of the book of Acts, none of the things that we will read about would have happened if Paul would not have been convinced by the Spirit of God to go to Jerusalem.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “The serpent” (Genesis 3:4).

Today’s Bible question:  “What country destroyed Jerusalem?”

Answer in our next SD.  7/29/2018 7:36 AM

PT-2 "The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price" (Acts 21:7-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/28/2018 11:59 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  PT-2 “The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price”

            Message of the verses:  “7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived

at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day. 8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ’In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"”

 

            We want to pick up today looking at verse ten which speaks of the prophet named Agabus who came to the house of Philip from Judah.  Now even though Caesarea was a part of Judah, the Jews thought of it as a foreign country as it was the seat of the hated Roman occupation.  Let us look at Acts 11:28 to see another prophecy from this man:  “28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.”  The prophecy we see in our text for today speaks of Paul’s upcoming arrest and imprisonment in Jerusalem.  He graphically depicts this by using Paul’s belt which he bound him with. 

 

            Like the believers in Tyre who did not want Paul to go to Jerusalem, these believers in Caesarea did not want Paul to go there either as the pleaded with him even to the point of tears that he may not go to Jerusalem. Paul would not turn back from his goal to go to Jerusalem even with all the weeping as he states “, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."”  John MacArthur writes that his determination mirrored that of Ezekiel: 

 

“5 For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; 6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words you can not understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.”   

 

MacArthur writes “Because of Israel’s stubborn and obstinate refusal to heed his message, Ezekiel would have to be even more stubborn and obstinate in his determination to deliver it.”

 

            We will try and finish the rest of this section in our next SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “On the cross” (John 19:28).

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘You surely will not die?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

7/28/2018 12:36 PM

PT-1 "The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price (Acts 21:7-14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/27/2018 9:58 AM

My Worship Time                              Focus:  PT-1 “The Courage of Conviction Pays Any Price”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                       Reference:  Acts 21:7-14

            Message of the verses:  “7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day.  8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11  And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ’In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"”

            We begin by looking at Judges 1:13 which will give us the OT name for Ptolemais:  “Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, or of Helbah, or of Aphik, or of Rehob.”  The highlighted word “Acco” is the name of the city now named Ptolemais, and it was about 25 miles south of Tyre.  We see that Paul never wastes an opportunity to minister as he greets the brethren in Ptolemais and stays with them for one day.  I am not sure how he found them, but at any rated he did and since there were few inns he stayed with the brethren for a day.  Once again this church like Tyre was probably started when the believers fled Jerusalem with the gospel message because of the persecution that was going on found in Acts 11:19 which happened after the death of Stephen.   Paul’s care for this church was in no matter less for this church even though he was not the one who founded it for Paul’s concern was “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28).”

            After one day the ship continued on down the coast and covered 40 miles to Caesarea, which was the port city of Jerusalem, for we know that Jerusalem was on top of a hill, and that is why we always read that you had to go “up” to Jerusalem in the Scriptures.  Caesarea was located some 65 miles northwest of Jerusalem, so it was a rather long journey to get to Jerusalem from there.  Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government in Judea and it was the official residence of its governors (mostly for Pilate).  There was a mix of Jews and Gentiles there and it was as we read the home of “Philip the evangelist who was one of the seven.”  When we read “one of the seven” we know that he was one of the seven “deacons” chosen as seen in Acts 6:5-6.  John MacArthur writes “Philip also was the pioneer in preaching the gospel to non Jews, first to the half-breed Samaritans, then to the Gentile Ethiopian eunuch (8:26 ff).  He richly deserved the appellation “evangelist”—a title given to no one else in Acts (though Timothy was told to do the work of an evangelist [2 Tim. 4:5]).”

            Accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s Savior changes everything as Paul was once a bitter enemy of Philip and now because of the gospel he is a brother in the Lord with Philip and stays at his house as he is welcomed there. 

            We see that Philip had “four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.”  Perhaps we can conclude because Luke describes his daughters as virgins that God had set them aside for a special ministry.  MacArthur writes “Prophets, like apostles, were specially appointed by God in the church.  They must be distinguished from individual believers with the gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10).  The complemented the ministry of the apostles (Eph. 4:11), functioning exclusively within a particular local congregation, while the apostles had a broader ministry.  In contrast to the apostles, whose doctrinal revelation was foundational to the church (Acts 2:42; #ph. 2:20), the message of the prophets was more personal and practical.  They sometimes received new revelation from God concerning matters that would later be covered in Scripture.  The main thrust of their ministry, however, was the reiteration or exposition of existing divine revelation (1 Cor. 14:3), much like today’s preachers and teachers of the Word.

            “The revelatory aspect of the gift of prophecy ceased at the close of the apostolic era with the completing of Scripture.  The nonrevelatory, reiterative aspect of the prophets’ ministry of doctrinal and practical exhortation has been taken over by the evangelists, pastors, and teachers.  In fact, in the last letters he wrote, the pastoral epistles, Paul does no refer to prophets at all; instead, teaching is to be done by the elders (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9).  This lack of references to prophets is especially significant in epistles devoted largely to church structure, officers, and service (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15). 

            “Luke records no details regarding Philip’s daughters’ prophetic ministry.  It is therefore impossible to know how often they prophesied or even if they did so more than once.  However the New Testament does not permit women to assume the role of preachers or teachers in the church (1 Cor. 14:34-36; 1 Tim. 2:11-12).  It is likely, therefore, that they prophesied by receiving divine revelation, rather than preaching sermons.  It is also possible that they spoke instructively to individuals rather than congregations.

            “It has been recorded that early believers regarded these women as valuable sources of information on the early history of the church.  The historian Eusebius notes that the church Father Papias received information from them (Ecclesiastical History, III.XXXIX; [Grand Rapids; Baker, 1973], 126.  Perhaps Luke used them as a source of information in writing his gospel and Acts.  He would have had many opportunities to talk with them, not only during this visit, but also during Paul’s two-year imprisonment at Caesarea (Acts 24a:27).”

            We can see that there was no evidence of any prophesying or their prophetic ministry from these four women on this section that we have been looking at today.  We will continue with this section in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It takes courage to continue on in the Christian life, especially when things are difficult, and when one is being tempted by the enemies of the believers.  

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to give me victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “When she had no more vessels” ( 2 Kings 4:6).

Today’s Bible question:  “What religious sect said there was no resurrection, no angels, nor spirit?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/27/2018 10:46 AM

The Courage of Conviction Cannot Be Diverted (Acts 21:4-6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/26/2018 10:29 AM

My Worship Time                                   Focus:  The Courage of Conviction Cannot Be Diverted

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:4-6

            Message of the verses:  “4 After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.”

            As we begin to look at verse four we learn that Paul had to look up the disciples that were in Tyre as it seems that he was not really familiar with them.  It is ironic how this church began as it probably began when believers left Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen, and the ironic part of it is that Paul was involved in Stephen’s murder.  Well we know that God uses all things to work together for our God and for His glory and this is a wonderful example of that.

            Paul and his companions stayed with these believers for seven days and it seems like it was a wonderful time of fellowship that they had, as they began a wonderful new friendship in the Lord.  I have been in places with believers that spoke another language and yet I could tell that they were believers, and so it is not surprising to me that Paul and his companions began a wonderful new relationship with these believers in Tyre.  I have to believe that these believers knew what Paul had done for the Lord after he became a believer, and so through Jesus Christ they were able to forgive him for his part in the persecution that went on that caused them to move from Jerusalem.

            John MacArthur writes “The Bible quite candidly reveals the shortcomings of even the greatest men of God.  Scripture presents the failings, as well as the triumphs, of men such as Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David, Peter, John, and the rest of the apostles.  Paul was no more immune to failure than they were; in fact, Luke has already recorded Paul’s quarrel with Barnabas over John Mark (15:37-39).  That Paul was not disobedient on this occasion, however, is evident from several considerations.”  I will try and summarize the five points that MacArthur brings up showing that Paul was not disobedient in wanting to go to Jerusalem as some have thought.

1.      As we look at the phrase “through the Spirit” it is inconclusive as it merely means that someone spoke as from a spiritual gift of prophecy.  Paul said the following in 1 Corinthians 14:29 “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.”  Paul is saying that not all prophecies that are made are true.

2.     As we have followed Paul’s life in the book of Acts we have learned that he is very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We have seen him not go into certain places or regions because he was stopped by the Holy Spirit in going there, so Paul followed the leading of the Spirit.

3.     The Holy Spirit had never stopped him from going to Jerusalem in the past as he went there a number of times as he was talking with the other apostles. 22  "And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23  except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me (Acts 20:22-23).” 

4.     24  "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).”  How could the Holy Spirit forbid Paul from doing what the Lord Jesus Christ had commanded him to?  Let us look at Acts 19:21 “21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’”  I have to go back to right after Paul was saved, and was blind and the Holy Spirit sent Ananias to heal Paul, that is to make him see again.  The Lord told Ananias that Paul would suffer much for the cause of Christ.

5.     One can search the Scriptures to find that Paul had sinned by going to Jerusalem at this time and you will not find out that he did.

            Paul had been warned and will continue to warn not to go there, but Paul went to Jerusalem because the Lord wanted him there.  I have to say after the trouble settled down once he got there and was put in prison, Paul had time to write many parts of the New Testament and to actually take some time to relax and use his ministry skills that the Lord had given him to write letters to different churches he had visited, and I have to believe that he wrote more letters that are not found in the Scriptures to help encourage other churches and believers.

 

            We see that after the week of ministry that Paul and his companions left Tyre, headed to Jerusalem.  Luke tells us that his new friends in the Lord knelt down on the beach and they had a short prayer meeting before Paul left.

 

            I have to relate a story about a man, a Pastor in Africa who knew that persecution had killed some of his fellow Pastors, and he went back to the place where they were and was captured and buried alive for the cause of Christ.  He did not have to go back, but he did because he felt that the Lord wanted him to do so.  Paul was going to Jerusalem because he knew that was what the Lord wanted him to do.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Trust the Lord to do things that He is leading me to do even though others don’t think that is what I should be doing.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as He leads my life through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the reading of His Word, and through the preaching of His Word.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jeremiah.”

 

Today’s Bible question:  “When did the widow’s oil stop increasing?”

Answer in our Next SD.

7/26/2018 11:09 AM

 

PT-2 The Courage of Conviction Knows Its Purpose (Acts 21:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/25/2018 10:50 AM

My Worship Time                            Focus:  PT-2 The Courage of Conviction Knows Its Purpose

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:1-3

            Message of the verses:  “1 When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.”

            I have mentioned before that Luke does write well about their sea adventures, and we can see that in the verses we are looking at.  John MacArthur writes “Each of the ports represents a day’s voyage; the ship sailed during the day and anchored in each port for the night.”

            When one looks at the modern equipment that ships have now and was certainly not available back when Paul was sailing on ships one can understand why these ships stopped at night.

            I am afraid that this SD will not be very long as I thought that it would be for all we can do now is take a look at the different ports of call that Paul and his missionary group traveled, but one thing we can look at is that in a similar way that Jesus knew that He had to be in Jerusalem for Passover, which is when He would give up His life for us, Paul too wanted to get to Jerusalem too.  John MacArthur writes “This simple recounting of Paul’s travels portrays a man driven to fulfill the priority of meeting the needs of the poor and unifying the church.  It shows that the strength of this courage stemmed from devotion to obey what he knew were divine priorities.”

            A little more information about Paul trying to unite the church is that as we read through some of Paul’s letters we see that he was taking a collection from the different Gentile churches in order to help the church at Jerusalem as there had been an extensive famine going on there.  Paul was concerned about whether or not the Jewish church at Jerusalem would even take funds from the Gentile churches.  “30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; 32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”  This was Paul asking the Romans to pray for him as he was going to Jerusalem to bring the money to the Jerusalem church and he wanted them to pray for him to accomplish this.  The words in verse 30 “to strive together” is a very powerful Greek word “sunagonizomai” and it is also used in John’s gospel and is translated as fighting, so Paul wanted the Romans to fight together with him in prayer. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to have a similar mind set as I live my life for the Lord, making sure that I do what He has planned for me to do.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as I continue to study for my Sunday school lesson that it will be something that the Spirit of God can use to benefit those who are there.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Balak” (Numbers 22:4-6).

Today’s Bible question:  “According to tradition, who authored First Kings?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/25/2018 11:13 AM

PT-1 "The Courage of Conviction Knows Its Purpose" (Acts 21:1-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/24/2018 7:10 AM

My Worship Time                  Focus:  PT-1 “The Courage of Conviction Knows Its Purpose”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:1-3

            Message of the verses:  “1  When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo.”

            We are back to the “we” in this section telling us that Luke is along with Paul and others, and we are back to a sea voyage.  It has been years ago when I was attending Founders Week at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois that I remember hear one of the Pastors who was preaching there say something to the effect that Luke could really write about a sea voyage and as we see from this section he gives very descriptive details of this voyage that he, Paul, and other missionaries had.

            I will mention that this SD will not be very long due to the fact that I had cataract surgery on my right eye yesterday afternoon and it takes a while for the eye to clear up so that I can see well enough to be able to read and type so we will get a far as we can today for this topic.

            We briefly mentioned a number of OT saints who had the courage of conviction in our last SD, and among them were Joshua and Caleb, along with Deborah, David, and also Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.  All of these people, and probably many more showed their courage of conviction as they were doing things that they truly believed that the Lord wanted them to do to bring glory to His name.  It is not clear to us how long that Paul had been thinking that the Lord wanted him to go to Jerusalem, but it must have been a while, and I am sure that knowing Paul as we have begun to know him through the book of Acts and some of the other gospels that he wrote that he had spent much time in prayer to the Lord in order to know that this was what the Lord wanted him to do, and so that is why he continued to press on to go up to Jerusalem. 

            As we begin chapter twenty-one we see that Luke mentions for the last time the emotional reminder of Paul leaving the leaders of the Ephesian church.  We could see from our last several SD’s that this was not only a very emotional time for Paul, but also for those leaders that Paul had spent three years with, and especially when Paul told them that they would never see his face again, and as a result all went through an emotional time.  Verse one uses the word “parted” in the beginning of it and John MacArthur writes “Apospao) “aparted” which means ‘to tear away’ (cf. 20:30; Luke 22:31), shows the trauma of that parting.  So great was the Ephesian elders’ love for him that Paul literally ad to tear himself away from his sorrowing friends.”

            I can tell a story that happened to me and also my wife that has some similarities with this one.  My wife and I from September 7, 2004 to the 16^th of March of 2005 lived in the country of Aruba.  I remember when it got time for us to leave Aruba that I was traveling into the company where I was working and I was wondering a few weeks before as I drove through the gate how many times would I still be driving through that gate.  You see my wife and I had grown close to a number of people who we worshiped with while living there, people from different walks of life and we were very fond of them, loving them as brothers and sisters in Christ.  I had even had the privilege of preaching to them on a number of occasions, something that I had never done before, but felt the Lord leading me to do so while there.  On the second to last week I had that privilege telling them what brought me to Aruba, telling them about how we had the privilege of leading many neighbor’s to the Lord through a very difficult challenge that we were going through as the Lord was giving us blessings in the storm of life through leading many members of a family to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  At the end of the message the entire small congregation stood and applauded after telling them what God had done in bringing many in that family to a saving knowledge of Christ.  Needless to say I was a bit embarrassed, and yet in my own way I knew that the applause was for the Lord, for the grace He had given to those in that family.  The next week my wife and I were asked to come to the front of the church in order to let the church family we were leaving and that was a very painful time for us too, knowing that we would not see any of these brothers and sisters for a long time.  We did return in April of 2007, but by them many of the same crowd was not there.  Leaving a situation like that was very emotional for my wife and I, and so I can understand a bit of what happened to Paul and the Ephesian leaders when Paul left.  With that we will continue to look at this section from Acts 21 in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for having had the privilege of knowing different believers from different walks of life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as He continues to heal my eye from the surgery that I had yesterday, and being thankful to Him for leading me and also my wife to the doctor who did the surgery.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Athens” (Acts 17:22-23).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who hired Balaam to curse Israel?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/24/2018 7:51 AM  

              

Intro to Acts 21:1-16

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/23/2018 10:05 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                       Focus:  Intro to Acts 21

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 21:1-16

            Message of the verses:  “1 When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again. 7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day.  8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ’In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’" 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!" 15 After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.”

            John MacArthur entitles this chapter covering these verses in his commentary “The Courage of Conviction,” and as I think about that title I have to say that it is very fitting to what is found in these sixteen verses.

            He begins his introductory comments by saying “Courageous commitment, stemming from strong convictions, is an essential quality found in all those whom God chooses to lead.”  This was certainly true of Paul as will be seen in these sixteen verses.  There are examples of the courageous commitment found in the OT.  Joshua and Caleb felt that the Lord had given the Promised Land to Israel as they were a part of the twelve spies who went into the land, and they conveyed this message to the elders of Israel to no avail, and yet because of their courageous commitment they were the only ones over twenty years old to enter the Promised Land as all the rest twenty and older died in the wilderness.  One more example comes from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as they were willing to give up their lives by being burned in a furnace, but because of their courageous commitment God spared their lives as they would not bow down to the golden idol.  There are others we could mention, but I think we get the point.  I suppose that the greatest One who had this courageous commitment was our Lord, and for that we who have been born again can be very thankful.

            John MacArthur ends his introductory commentary by writing:  “From the narrative in verses 1-16 emerge four aspects of the courage of conviction displayed by the apostle Paul:  such courage knows its purpose, cannot be diverted, pays any price, and motivates others.”

            One more thing I would like to mention and that is that there have been many millions of people who have demonstrated this courageous commitment by laying down their lives for the cause of Christ as evidenced by a Pastor’s family in the Central African Republic a couple of weeks ago as two of the Pastor’s children were killed for the cause of Christ, one only 13 years old. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look around the world today, including our country I certainly see signs of our Lord’s second coming as our world has changed much since the end of the Second World War.  As I think of that my prayer is that I too would have courageous commitment in whatever the Lord has for me to do for the cause of Christ.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord that He will give Dr. Pierre great wisdom once again as he operates on my right eye to install a new cataract.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jesus” (Mark 6:50).

Today’s Bible question:  “In what city did Paul find an altar to an unknown God?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/23/2018 10:33 AM    

 

Be Free From Self-Interest (Acts 20:33-38)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2018 9:36 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Be Free From Self-Interest

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 20:33-38

            Message of the verses:  “33 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35 "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.’"  36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.”

            One only has to look around at the different ministries that are on the cable TV to see that most of them are only interested money and not the spreading of the Word of God to the lost, and also to help believers to grow in Christ.  “"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew 6:24).”  “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ (Hebrews 13:5).”  “1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money (1 Timothy 3:1-3).”  Titus 1:7 has some very similar things to say.

            I just want to relate on story from the gospels that has to do with what we are talking about here.  The parable of the rich man caused the disciples of Jesus Christ to wonder who could get into heaven, and the reason what they were wondering this was because that is what they were taught from the Pharisees of their day.  The Pharisees of Jesus day looked down on anyone who was poor and by this one can see that love of money has always characterized false teachers of which the Pharisees were.

            Paul made sure to tell the leaders of the Ephesian church that he had coveted no one’s silver or gold or even their clothes.  Paul was what was known as a ten maker missionary, and by that he genially made his own living so that he did not have to have support even though he deserved to be supported. 

            After Paul told them that he did not covet anyone’s possessions he then appealed to them to follow his example:  “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.”   While in his tent making ministry he not only helped himself so that he would not have to have been supported, but also helped the poor which is what Paul encourages them to do.  John MacArthur writes about the quotation Paul makes of Jesus:  “This quotation of Jesus is not recorded in the gospels but was nonetheless known among the early Christians.  It is of great consequence that this is the only quotation recorded aoutside the gospels of a statement spoken by Jesus while He was on earth.  That gives significant weight to the truth it reveals.  The gospels no more contain every word our Lord spoke during His earthly ministry that they do all His deeds (John 21:25).  Only the divinely inspired Bible, however, contains those words and deeds that He wished us to remember.  The fanciful deeds and sayings recorded in extrabiblical writings are to be rejected.”

            As we look at the last three verses they can be understood by just reading them.  We do know that it must have been hard on Paul as well as the elders of the Ephesian church to have Paul leave as they would not see him again.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Forty” (Acts 1:3).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘Be on good cheer; it is I, be not afraid’?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/22/2018 9:58 PM

Study and Pray (Acts 20:32)

SPRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2018 12:51 PM

My Worship Time                                                                                        Focus:  Study and Pray

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Acts 20:32

            Message of the verses:  “32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

            We have been stressing the importance of the undershepherd and his role in the church in our previous SD’s.  We have stated that in order for the undershepherd to fulfill his role as an effective Pastor that he must stay in the Word of God, and as we see here he must also be a persistent prayer warrior.  One of the things that believers, including Pastors and other church leaders is trying to do things on their own, and that means they are doing it in the flesh, and this will never be pleasing to the Lord.  That is why it is important to stay in the Word of God each and every day and praying that God will grant us His wisdom in order to do what it is that He wants us to do.  I have mentioned in many of my Spiritual Diaries what I believe that Ephesians 2:10 says to me:  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  I believe that in eternity past as this verse states that God gave His elect things to do and I also believe that we are to ask the Lord to show us what those things that He has planned for us to do so that we can do them.  Just as salvation is a gift from God and can never be earned, and if it could be earned then God would not receive glory, so is doing the work of God once we are saved something that He has planned in eternity past so when we do it in the power of the Holy Spirit, then Christ is the One who will receive glory for what we do as we are not doing it in the flesh.

            Acts 6:4 reads “"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."  This speaks of what the apostles were to do in order to understand what God wanted them to do in order to spread the Word so that the church could grow.  They did not do things in their own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. 

            Paul was a man of prayer and it was Paul’s desire and practice to commend believers to God as seen in many of his letters.  John MacArthur writes “There is no substitute for prayer, for prayer acknowledges dependence on God and lines us up with His purposes.  Prayer also allows God to glorify Himself by answering (John 14:13).  Without it the undershepherds’ attempts to feed, lead, and guard the flock will be in vain.  Good intentions, good ideas, or good programs cannot overcome the effects of prayerlessness.”

            We have mentioned that studying the Word is important in this SD and many other Spiritual Diaries, and we also mentioned that the reason that I named my blogs 2 Timothy 2:15 was because it speaks of the necessity of studying God’s Word.  With that we will end this SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jesus Christ” (Acts 3:6).

Today’s Bible question:  “After the resurrection, how many days was Jesus seen by the Apostles?

Answer in our next SD.

7/21/2018 1:10 PM