Everybody prays when storms rage. Practice praying before they come. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Paul survived an assassination plot in Jerusalem and was transferred to Caesarea, where he spent two years imprisoned. Although Roman governors Felix and Festus, along with King Agrippa, found no reason to execute him, Paul remained in custody and appealed to Caesar. On his voyage to Rome, a violent storm threatened to destroy the ship and everyone aboard. Yet Paul has been confidently assuring his terrified shipmates that God would preserve their lives. Acts 27:27–44 (NIV) 27 On the fourteenth night [of the storm] we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 117 Q. How does God want us to pray so that he will listen to us? ...we must rest on this unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. That is what he promised us in his Word. Summary I like how Luke captures the life or death drama - as the sea gets shallower and shallower, fearing that they'd be dashed against the rocks, they [the Roman soldiers] dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. Understand that in life, it's not a matter of if you pray, but when you pray. Certainly for most people, their requests and who they pray to is problematic, but all people, when facing a situation like what those on this ship faced, are going to pray (for a hauntingly similar situation, go back and read about the pagan sailors Jonah went to sea with). So it makes sense for you to get dialed into this important practice now, when your predicaments aren't as pressing. Learn to use the AAA prayer pattern we practice here each day, in which you draw the elements from your prayer from Scripture and pray it back to your Father in short bursts all throughout the day. This wasn't a small boat being pounded by the surf for fourteen days and nights. Luke reports that altogether, there were 276 of us aboard. But there wasn't really a one for all and all for one attitude on board this ship. The sailors get caught red handed letting the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Later, the Roman soldiers planned to kill the prisoners - including Paul and company - to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. Dig Deeper Our primary purpose when reading through any narrative book of the Bible - but especially the book of Acts - isn't just to learn life lessons from Biblical heroes. Our primary purpose is to see the One these heroes pointed to - our crucified, risen, ascended and sovereign Savior, Jesus Christ. You probably won't face a two week squall on an ancient Roman ship on the Mediterranean Sea. But at the same time, you're likely reading this in the middle of the week, with plenty of your own storms blowing their own brand of chaos. So you can model and share the confidence faith gives you, just like Paul did. Even though, in previous passages, Paul had warned the stubborn centurion not to set sail so late in the season (v11-12), he also passed along God's peace and promise of deliverance when the storm set in (v24-26). And Paul's faith driven confidence was contagious - after taking Paul's advice to eat, they were all encouraged and pressed on. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who cares for His people in the midst of storms; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll have and exude the confidence that comes from faith in Christ; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

When God has already given you what you need, you don't need to ask for more. When you regularly read God's Word and have a mindset of continual prayer, God enables you to see and utilize the resources He's often already given you to break free of the predicaments you face. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Paul addressed the mob that surrounded him near the temple in Jerusalem, telling them of his dramatic conversion experience and how he was commissioned to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Acts 22:22–29 (NASB95) 22 They [the mob] listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were crying out and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, stating that he should be examined by scourging so that he might find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 The commander came and said to Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29 Therefore those who were about to examine him immediately let go of him; and the commander also was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had put him in chains. Canons of Dordt Point III/IV, Article 17: God’s Use of Means in Regeneration Just as the almighty work of God by which he brings forth and sustains our natural life does not rule out but requires the use of means..., the supernatural work of God by which he regenerates us in no way rules out or cancels the use of the gospel... For this reason, the apostles and the teachers who followed them taught the people in a godly manner about this grace of God, to give him the glory and to humble all pride, and yet did not neglect meanwhile to keep the people, by means of the holy admonitions of the gospel, under the administration of the Word, the sacraments, and discipline [the ordinary means of grace]. So even today it is out of the question that the teachers or those taught in the church should presume to test God by separating what he in his good pleasure has wished to be closely joined together [His supernatural power and ordinary means]... To God alone, both for the means and for their saving fruit and effectiveness, all glory is owed forever. Amen. Summary The opening scene to today's episode is one we've seen over and over in the book of Acts - an evangelist, cornered by a crowd which can't stand what they're hearing. Interestingly in this case, the Jerusalem crowd that had been stirred into a swirled frenzy actually respectfully listened to Paul up to his final statement, but they lost it when he described himself as sent by the Messaih far away to the Gentiles (v21). Luke describes the chaos that ensued. They raised their voices, yelling for Paul to be removed from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live. They cried out, threw off their cloaks and tossed dust into the air. There is never room for reason, logic, tolerance or understanding in a riotous mob. Keep this in mind the next time you see one on the news - or even ganging up in the comment section on the web. So the Roman authorities stepped in. The confused commander likely couldn't understand any of Paul's speech to the mob since it would have been spoken in Aramaic, so he shifted the speech to one of the few universal languages that all people know: compulsion by torture. He ordered Paul to be examined by scourging. "The scourge (Lat. flagellum), an instrument of Roman inquisition and punishment, consisted of leather thongs studded with pieces of metal or bone and fastened to a wooden handle. Its use often crippled for life and sometimes killed." (source) Dig Deeper What's really interesting in this passage is how Paul gets himself out of this jamb. Notice that he doesn't do the one thing that we might have expected him to do in a dire situation - he doesn't pray (at least explicitly). Now it's not at all that Paul's not a proponent of prayer! After all, he'll go on to encourage the Thessalonians to pray continually! But not every predicament in life affords the opportunity for formal, hands folded and heads bowed prayer - especially not the predicament Paul found himself in as they stretched him out with thongs. There are times when God expects you to act, not just to pray - to use the resources God has abundantly provided, rather than to beg for an extraordinary miracle from above. And so Paul used what he had available, which as it turned out was quite significant. He pulled his citizenship card, which provided him with certain inalienable rights - not the least of which was a prohibition against being tortured. The same Paul who reminded the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), now fully leans into his citizenship in Rome - a citizenship he was born into. It's good for you to have an instinct to approach every problem and challenge in prayer. But it's not wrong for you to immediately rely on the resources that God's already given you to solve it. Living with a mindset of continual prayer - albeit, often not formal prayer - will help you be ready to recognize and rely on the resources God has given you to meet the challenges you'll continually face. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who always gives us what we need, when we need it; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll have an attitude of continual prayer so that you'll better recognize the ordinary resources God has given you to meet the challenges you face; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Don't stir the pot or live in the swirl. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Paul's group, which now includes our narrator Luke, has arrived in Jerusalem, where rumors that they were dissuading God's people from keeping God's Law had preceded them. So Paul took part in a purification ritual to show his cultural solidarity with his fellow Jews, but it didn't take long for his presence to be noticed by his enemies. Acts 21:27–36 (NASB95) 27 When the seven days [of Paul's purification ritual] were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; 36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!” Westminster Longer Catechism 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment [you shall not bear false witness]? The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public... wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause; out-facing and overbearing the truth; ...calling evil good, and good evil; ...speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, ...tale-bearing, whispering, scoffing, ...misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; ...raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defence; ...rejoicing in people's disgrace and infamy; ...practicing or not avoiding [these things] ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name. Summary Maybe it seems to you like we live in a day and age in which society has disintegrated and people are polarized in a way that's never been experienced before. Unfortunately, however, for as bad as things certainly now are, the manipulation that defines so much of our discourse is nothing new. Today's episode from Acts demonstrates some of the key ingredients that contribute to this sort of chaos, so that you can recognize and avoid it in your interactions. It begins with people who stir up the crowd. But unlike inspirational leaders who motivate and rally people around a true and noble cause, these stirrers do their dirty work by obfuscating, confusing, and creating consternation. In other words, they take a smidgen of truth, twist it, and then smear it all over in an effort to fuel rage. In Paul's case, they started with truth, saying "This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere...", but then quickly began to manipulate it to make people angry, reporting that Paul preached "against our people and the Law and this place [the temple]." They ramped up their accusations by claiming that Paul even brought Greeks into the temple, defiling the holy place since they'd seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and conveniently concluded that Paul had brought him into the temple. The sad reality is that these sort of dirty tactics work, over and over again, all through the ages. The stirrers succeeded in getting all the city provoked / aroused (NIV) / disturbed (ESV) / moved (KJV), and the people came running from all directions (NIV). At this point, a mob mentality broke out, with some shouting one thing, and some another. And ultimately violence broke out. Dig Deeper You're probably not a stirrer. I hope not, at least. In fact, there's a good chance you haven't, or at least don't often, do the bad things prohibited in that very long answer from the longer catechism. But notice that even if you're not the one actively stirring the pot, you can still be in violation of the ninth commandment. The Catechism reminds you that not only must you not be a stirrer yourself, but that you must avoid these things and hinder what you can in others. So even if you're not out there making malicious posts, are you eagerly consuming them, believing them without checking, or rewarding them with your attention? You may not be the one spreading rumors, but are you standing there listening to them? What are you doing to actively hinder these sort of manipulations? Just as there always has been, there always will be stirrers in society until Christ returns and makes all things new. You can't do a thing about that. The only person you can control is you. So do just that - control yourself amidst the chaos that others are so bent on cooking up. Certainly don't stir the pot, but also don't live in the swirl. Hinder what you can in others, but even more so, aggressively avoid being stirred. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who loves the truth; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be a representative of truth in this dark world of lies; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

In our worship, the LORD speaks and His people respond. Faithlife.com PSALM 118 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 3 Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 5 From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. 6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? 7 The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 12 They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. 13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. 14 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. 15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. 16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly. 17 I will not die, but live, And tell of the works of the LORD . 18 The LORD has disciplined me severely, But He has not given me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD; The righteous will enter through it. 21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, And You have become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. 23 This is the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. 27 The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 54 Q. What do you believe concerning “the holy catholic church”? A. I believe that the Son of God through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member. Summary This week's psalm begins with a rousing call to worship - which is how, at least in most of our Sunday bulletins, the opening element of our service is referred to. But it's more than just a call or invitation; it's more of a command! This command is comprehensive and goes out to all of God's people: not just Israel and the house of Aaron, but to all those who fear the LORD. Reformed churches practice what is known as dialogical worship, in which the LORD speaks and His people respond. The opening command to worship in Psalm 118 follows this pattern, first proclaiming that the LORD's lovingkindness is everlasting, and then calling His worshippers to echo back this theological truth. The bulk of Psalm 118 is given to the psalmist's own testimonial of thanksgiving, in which he thanks the LORD for hearing and answering his distress. This middle section includes several memorable aphorisms: 6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? 8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. 14 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. Dig Deeper The final portion of Psalm 118 sets out a beautiful thanksgiving liturgy. It has an antiphonal structure in which the worship leader would sing out the first line of the couplet, and the congregation would then sing back the second line. Here's a few examples: LEADER: 24 This is the day which the LORD has made; CONGREGATION: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. LEADER: 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; CONGREGATION: We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. The most striking of all of these call / response couplets is the one that comes first, which is a citation used throughout the New Testament, but especially by Peter - both in his first letter as well as a sermon of his we recently read about in Acts: LEADER: 22 The stone which the builders rejected CONGREGATION: Has become the chief corner stone. Peter was simply following the lead of Jesus, who cited this Psalm in reference to Himself. A corner stone is the all important component in a masonry structure which gives order to and stabilizes all of the other foundational stones in the structure. So as you begin to prepare yourself for the coming Lord's Day, remember that the entire service will be, in one way or another, a song of thanksgiving rising up from the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD, is God, and He has given us light; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that whether it's in formal, gathered worship or in your day to day service, that your life will be a song of thanksgiving built upon the chief cornerstone; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

Paul demonstrates what living a Spirit filled life looks like. Faithlife.com SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Paul traveled through Athens and Corinth, preaching Christ and establishing churches. After returning briefly to Antioch, he began his third missionary journey, strengthening the churches before settling in Ephesus, where he taught for more than two years and the gospel spread throughout the region. He's now leaving to deliver a financial collection other churches have raised for the famine stricken Jerusalem (Romans 15:25-31), but many are worried that he'll face terrible persecution there. We pick back up as Paul announces his intention to the elders of his beloved Ephesian church... Acts 20:22–38 (NASB95) 22 “And now, behold, bound by the 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. 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. 25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 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. 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. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 53 Q. What do you believe concerning “the Holy Spirit”? A. First, he, as well as the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, he has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever. Summary One of Luke's favorite phrases throughout the book of Acts in describing the early church's leaders is that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul provides good insight to what this phrase means in his moving farewell speech to these elders in Ephesus. Paul describes himself as being bound by the Spirit. So many people had given him good advice to not go to Jerusalem. People filled with the Spirit have their wills so completely aligned with the Spirit that they're bound (NIV: compelled) to follow Him; Like Paul, people filled with the Spirit are loyal to Christ. Paul sought to finish his course and ministry he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God; The Spirit testified to Paul in every city about the persecutions that awaited him in it. So people filled with the Spirit listen for Him, so that they hear His reassuring voice as they approach challenges; Filled people commend themselves and others to the word of God's grace, which is able to build up; Filled people work hard to help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that 'It is more blessed to give than receive.' People remained filled by spending much time in prayer, as Paul demonstrates by kneeling down and praying with them all. Dig Deeper Don't miss the huge warning Paul gives in today's passage: 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock... 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert... Paul's warning remains just as relevant today as it did then. All Christians - but especially the men who've been called and appointed to serve to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood, must take these words to heart. So do all you can to empty yourselves of this world's filth so that you can instead be completely filled with the Spirit. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who calls, equips and uses those whom He fills with His Spirit; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your life will, like Paul's, show signs of being filled with the Spirit; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

You need to be MORE judgmental - but just do it correctly! SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Luke has been telling the story of Paul's second missionary journey, which landed him in a Philippian prison. Luke tells of how Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns at midnight with their feet in stocks, a violent earthquake toppled the prison, freeing them. Their jailer comes to faith as a result, and he and his family were baptized. After leaving Philippi, the missionary team ended up in Thessalonica, where jealous Jews incited a riot against them, forcing them to leave. Acts 17:10–15 (NASB95) 10 The brethren [in Philippi] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 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. 12 Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. Belgic Confession Article 29: The Marks of the True Church The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognizing the true church— and no one ought to be separated from it. Summary After escaping the clutches of the cranked up Thessalonian crowd in the dark of night, Paul and Silas immediately fall back into the same pattern they'd repeated in so many other cities: when they arrived in Berea, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Even though angry and jealous Jews have caused so much hardship for them in the past, synagogues are so often where Paul begins his preaching, because it's there that they find people familiar with the Scriptures. It's important to note that prior Biblical knowledge is not a necessary prerequisite for faith and salvation in Jesus Christ. There's lots of people, even in the book of Acts, who came to believe without knowing a thing about the Bible before their conversion, not the least of which is the Philippian jailer and his family recorded in the previous chapter. But Paul's custom of beginning in each new city with Biblically literate people and reasoning with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead (Acts 17:2-3) shows the value in training our people - especially our children - in the Word of the Lord. We're not making them Christians by doing so - that's the work of the Holy Spirit. But we are instilling in them one of the ordinary means that the Spirit so often uses to bring people to know Christ as we teach of God's covenant faithfulness throughout history as it's told of in the Old Testament. Dig Deeper The people in Berea were different than what Paul encountered in so many other cities. Luke puts it quite bluntly: they were more noble-minded, especially compared to those in Thessalonica. One Greek lexicon defines the adjective Luke used here as having "a willingness to learn and evaluate something fairly—‘willingness to learn, to be open-minded." So they're described as having received the word with great eagerness. Now that eagerness to receive something new - being 'open minded', as the lexicon put it - isn't meant to promote an uncritical acceptance of every novel idea that comes your way. That's the attitude of the fallen world we live in, in which 'open mindedness' is equivocated to mean 'non-judgmental'. That's not at all what these Bereans were, and neither should you be. Rather, having heard this wonderful good news of Jesus Christ, they examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. In other words, they evaluated the truthfulness of Paul's claims. You could even say they judged them - but not by their own arbitrary standards or how what Paul preached made them feel. They judged what they heard by how well it conformed to the one and only absolute standard of truth: Scripture. This is just one more reason for you to increasingly know more and more about what the Bible says, so that you can properly evaluate - judge, even - the dozens of competing truth claims that come at you each day. Be like the Bereans: examine the Scriptures daily! AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who through His Holy Spirit opens the minds of His people to see the truth in His Word; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that every day you come to know the Scriptures more so that you can wisely and properly discern truth; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

It's the Lord who opens your heart, but you must respond. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... As the gospel grows, the Church develops growing pains. Rather than just ignoring the massive difficulties that came with integrating Gentile converts with Jewish traditions, the Church faced the issue and convened a council to provide clarity on how to live into the Lord's will. Having set a course forward, it was time to get back to the work of evangelism. Unfortunately, Paul and Barnabas couldn't find a path forward together. But God used the situation to form two missionary teams instead of just one. Now Paul has teamed up with his protege Timothy, and our narrator, Luke. Acts 16:11–15 (NIV) 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. Canons of Dordt Point III/IV, Article 13-14: The Way God Gives Faith ...Faith is a gift of God, not in the sense that it is offered by God for people to choose, but that it is in actual fact bestowed on them, breathed and infused into them... it is a gift in the sense that God who works both willing and acting and, indeed, works all things in all people and produces in them both the will to believe and the belief itself. Summary One of Luke's - the historian and fellow evangelist who wrote both the account of Jesus' life as well as the book of Acts - characteristics is his ability to convey lots of information using a small amount of words. He often throws in seemingly unsignificant details that end up adding deep insight to the story (conversely, when Luke doesn't include details, it's a big clue that that those things are not critical to understanding the story, even though we might be really curious about them). So when Luke mentions that they had to go outside of the city on the Sabbath to find people who worshipped God, and that the people who had gathered down by the river to pray were women, it tells us quite a bit about the spiritual condition of the Jewish people in Philippi. Synagogues could be formed wherever there were at least ten faithful men, so the fact that these women were meeting alone in the open air tells us that the Jewish men of Philippi, a large and prosperous city in which there would have been more than enough men to warrant having several synagogues, had by and large abdicated their faith and calling from God to be the spiritual leaders of their home and community. Such lazy behavior by men has plagued the Church for its entire existence. Next, Luke keys in on a particular woman, sharing all sorts of details about her: where she was from, her name, and her occupation. From these details we can deduce that Lydia was likely a free woman (in a world where most people were enslaved) and that as a dealer of purple cloth, she was probably quite wealthy. In her faithfulness, she would go on to be a key patron and benefactor to the Church for years to come. Dig Deeper Of course we didn't come to this passage today just for a lesson in ancient Philippian history. We came because of the interesting way that Luke describes how it is Lydia came to place her faith in Christ. Each clause of this short sentence is worth digging into: The Lord opened her heart... - Of course Luke doesn't literally mean that God performed open heart surgery here! As one lexicon defines the idiom used here, Luke means that the Lord - a title most often given to Christ, but one that doesn't necessarily exclude the Holy Spirit - "caused someone to be willing to learn and evaluate fairly." ...to respond... - When the Holy Spirit breaths and infuses faith into people, it's not as if He turns people into mindless drones who no longer have agency over their will or can exercise any independent self determination; The Lord had opened her heart, but Lydia still needed to respond to Him on her own. Yet at the same time, it's not as if the Spirit simply granted her the potential to believe, but then awaited her assent. Rather, He produced in her both the will to believe and the belief itself. In other words, having had her mind opened and freed of sin's noetic effect, the grace offered to Lydia became irresistible, and she responded. ...to Paul's message. - It wasn't a carefully crafted and beautifully performed worship song that Lydia responded to, or a warm, fuzzy feeling that God would help her through whatever personal challenges she was facing, or the loving relationships she'd have with other Christians. She responded to the words Paul preached - the gospel message: Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, is now raised from the dead (2 Timothy 2:8). AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gathers His people from all sorts of different backgrounds; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would respond to the gospel message all through your life, as Lydia did; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

God expects all Christians to be both a disciple and a discipler. When diversity becomes the primary goal in the church, diversity becomes its primary focus. However, when knowing Christ is a church's primary goal, like what it was Antioch, then diversity often is the ordinary result. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Luke wraps his account of Peter's ministry, telling of how an angel miraculously sprung Peter from prison the night before he was to stand trial before Herod, and of Herod's subsequent sudden pride-fueled death. For the remainder of the book of Acts, Luke's focus will be on Paul's ministry. Acts 13:1–5 (NASB95) 1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John [Mark] as their helper. Belgic Confession Article 27: The Holy Catholic Church We believe and confess one single catholic or universal church— a holy congregation and gathering of true Christian believers, awaiting their entire salvation in Jesus Christ being washed by his blood, and sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit. This church has existed from the beginning of the world and will last until the end, as appears from the fact that Christ is eternal King who cannot be without subjects. And this holy church is preserved by God against the rage of the whole world, even though for a time it may appear very small in the eyes of men— as though it were snuffed out. For example, during the very dangerous time of Ahab the Lord preserved for himself seven thousand men who did not bend their knees to Baal. And so this holy church is not confined, bound, or limited to a certain place or certain persons. But it is spread and dispersed throughout the entire world, though still joined and united in heart and will, in one and the same Spirit, by the power of faith. Summary Last week we were introduced to the church in Antioch, the community in which the disciples were first called Christians. Luke begins his narration of Paul's missionary journeys with a bit of a deeper look inside this early church. He begins by introducing us to some of its key leaders. At this point in church history, the concept of ordained church offices that we're familiar with, such as pastor, elder and deacon, really haven't been fully flushed out yet (although we did get some insight into the early stages of what God expects of deacons a couple of weeks ago in chapter six). Here, Luke simply refers to these leaders as being prophets and teachers, which happen to correspond nicely with what is expected from from church elders. But elders are not the only church members expected to speak prophetically - that is, to proclaim the word of God - and to teach. In one way or another, all Christians must prophets and teachers. All of us - everyone from seasoned elders to new Christians - are expected to simultaneously be disciples - a word that literally means learner - and teachers. The more you learn from those ahead of you in the faith, the more you can teach those coming behind. Dig Deeper What an interesting cast of characters, these prophets and teachers in the church that was there in Antioch: Barnabas - a man who we first read about way back at the end of chapter four, who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. His given name was Joseph, but over time he was given this nickname which means Son of Encouragement). Simeon, who was called Niger - His Latin surname suggests he was from Africa; Lucius of Cyrene - A city settled by Greek settlers in North Africa, a long way away from Antioch; Manaen - we really don't know much about him, except for what Luke tells us here in that he had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch. But that clue suggests that Manaen came from a very wealthy and privileged background; Saul - the persecutor turned preacher. Saul had been a rising star in the Jewish establishment before being dramatically commandeered by Christ. He had been educated at some of the highest academic levels. I dare you to find something in common between these four men! What an eclectic group the Lord gathered in this early church! If it wasn't for this church in Antioch, these four guys would have certainly never had anything to do with one another! We live in a society which places a high value on diversity. This is a good thing in and of itself, but even good things can often become problematic. When diversity becomes the primary goal in the church, diversity becomes its primary focus. And ironically, quite often churches that have made diversity their goal often never really become very diverse. However, when knowing Christ is a church's primary goal, like what it was here in Antioch, where Luke twice describes them as ministering to the Lord, fasting and praying, then diversity often is the ordinary result. So surround yourself with godly people, even if those people happen to be very different from you, and keep yourself busy coming to know Christ and doing the work to which the Holy Spirit has called you. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who gathers His people from every nation, tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9); ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your focus and goal will be learning about Jesus so that you can teach it to others; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

The LORD inclines His ear to you, so you must walk before Him. The Bible App PSALM 116 1 I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called upon the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!” 5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. 9 I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living. 10 I believed when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 I said in my alarm, “All men are liars.” 12 What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? 13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD. 14 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones. 16 O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid, You have loosed my bonds. 17 To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the LORD. 18 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people, 19 In the courts of the LORD's house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 44 Q. Why does the Apostles' creed add, “Jesus descended to hell”? A. To assure me in times of personal crisis and temptation that Christ my Lord, by suffering unspeakable anguish, pain, and terror of soul, especially on the cross but also earlier, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell. Summary Do you ever wonder if God hears your prayers? Our natural inclination when we pray is to spend most of our effort on the third A in our Triple-A prayer pattern - asking God for what we need. But so often it seems our requests get met with silence. So more prayers get offered up, maybe with a little bargaining thrown in as to how good we'll be if God comes through. This week's psalm comes as a reminder that God DOES hear your prayers, and has always given you what you need, and quite often what you want as well. In addition, Psalm 116 gives you a guide for living into this amazing truth. Your love for the LORD isn't unconditional. Neither was the psalmists, or anyone else's for that matter. Rather, we have good reasons for our love! For one thing, we love the LORD because He hears our voice and supplications! And the One whose name you call upon is righteous and compassionate, so you can trust Him to save your life when you get brought low. You can trust Him because He's already rescued your soul from death. Knowing that the God you love inclines His ear to you allows you to find the most elusive thing on earth: true rest. The rest of the world resides in anxiety and worry, never thinking they have enough. But you can say with the Psalmist, return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. Dig Deeper But this rest that you want so badly - not just now, at the end of another long work week, but from all the alarms and afflictions in this world in which all men are liars - looks quite different than you might expect. This rest is found only as you render your life to the LORD for all His benefits toward you. And this rest is quite vigorous - you must walk before the LORD in the land of the living. Obviously this involves more than just hitting an arbitrary step count goal each day; this walking metaphor gets used often in the Bible to reference day to day living. But this rest involves more exercise than walking; you must also do some heavy lifting, as you continually lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD. In other words, as you pray, you're always reminding yourself of the salvation that the LORD has given you, especially in Christ's sin-atoning death and resurrection, but also for delivering your eyes from tears and for keeping your feet from stumbling. You'll find this true rest as you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the LORD (God's benefits toward you are not predicated on the promises you make to Him as you pray, but He does expect you to keep them). This isn't something you do on your own, but rather in the presence of all His people (mentioned 2x), in the courts of the LORD's house, in the midst of God's presence on earth. And guess what! You have the opportunity to find and be reminded of this rest once more, as you gather with the saints on the LORD's day, which is once again right around the corner. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who inclines His ear and hears our voice and supplications; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that, having had your soul rescued from death, that you would walk before the LORD in the land of the living; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

A 'Christian' is simply a loyal follower of Christ. SINCE WE LAST LEFT OFF... Both Apostle Peter and the centurion Cornelius had simultaneous visions from God calling them together. After word got out that the Jewish Peter had visited and stayed at a Gentile's home, it caused quite a stir, which was dampened when it became clear that God was at work expanding His Church. Now Luke, our narrator, steps back in time a bit to catch us up with other things that had been happening. Acts 11:19–30 (NASB95) 19 So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 32 Q. But why are you called a Christian? A. Because by faith I am a member of Christ and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity. Summary Persecution, for as often as we properly pray against it and hope it will never happen to us, ironically can be quite beneficial to the Church. Its testing strengthens and solidifies Christians as they cling more tightly to their Father and Savior in times of trouble, and, as Luke notes here, persecution forces the Church to scatter. As the early Christians were forced out of Jerusalem after Stephen's execution, they ended up moving north to cities like Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. These refugees eagerly told the good news to their new neighbors, but Luke makes a critical distinction: they spoke the word to no one except Jews alone. This wasn't really all that odd - refugees and immigrants always tend to stick to their own cultural communities, plus, Judaism had always been a very insular religion. So these fleeing Jews simply told other Jews about their Jewish Messiah. Makes sense. But turns out the Greeks were pretty interested in this Christ as well (the word Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah), having had men who came to Antioch begin speaking to them too, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord! News didn't travel quite as fast then as it does now, but it still moved pretty quickly and didn't take very long to reach the ears of the church at Jerusalem - the apostles, who had stayed put in the midst of the persecution. Not sure what to make of it, they sent Barnabas up to investigate. Luke makes it clear what Barnabas found when he showed up: he witnessed the grace of God. He saw considerable numbers being brought to the Lord. Barnabas, another in a long line of men Luke describes as being full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, recognized that God was at work. But Barnabas was an encourager, not a preacher. So he left for Tarsus to look for a man who was: Saul. Dig Deeper What do people witness when they come to your church? Do they see the same grace of God that Barnabas witnessed in Antioch? Why or why not? What do you think the grace of God looks like? Certainly God's grace manifests itself in a myriad of different ways in different places, but there's also lots of counterfeits that seem like aspects of God's grace but aren't. Luke includes a fascinating tidbit in today's episode that will help you answer those critically important questions in any setting and enable you to recognize true grace amongst the pretenders. Luke tells us that those people up in Antioch coined one of history's most famous terms: the disciples were first called Christians there! But to those who first started calling them that, it probably didn't seem all that unique. After all, people who affiliated with a particular political leader were often called by his name, like the Herodians or the Caesarians. That's what the name that you have hopefully attached to yourself means - a Christian is simply one who who follows and is loyal to Christ. And communities of loyal Christ followers - Christians - will quite naturally and genuinely demonstrate the grace of God that Barnabas saw in Antioch. So if you want the grace of God to be evident in your own life and church, be sure to do what those early disciples did so long ago in Antioch: be a loyal follower of Jesus Christ in a way that's evident to all. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who controls and uses all things - even persecution - to grow Christ's Church; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'd be a strong Christian in the original sense of the word; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: