Daily Bread Acts 23
Daily Bread Acts 23
6Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
Observation: Paul takes himself out of the center of attention by bringing up an age old argument between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Sadducees were more rationalistic in their worldview and were less open miraculous events like the resurrection of the dead. (Even though this sort of thing happened in their own Old Testament scriptures). This frees up some time for Paul to get out of “dodge”.
At the end of this passage, Paul is visited by the Lord again, who prophesies that Paul will also give witness in Rome to the Resurrection. The question is how is he going to get there? Well, it just so happens that due the uproar and subsequent plot to ambush Paul, he gets the attention of the Roman soldiers through his nephew who overhears the plot against his uncle.
This is where the Roman citizen part comes into play, as the commander agrees to get him to Governor Felix for a fair and just trial, also sparing Paul from the night ambush. Again, we see God at work in all these events to allow Paul a chance to fulfill the prophesy Jesus had given him that he would testify for him in Rome.
Application:
So often when things go wrong in our lives, we are tempted to whine and complain, or throw a full on “pity party”. But see here time and time again God using Paul’s desperate circumstances to further the propagation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. This will prompt Paul to write in chapter 8 of the book of Romans (which we will be studying in a few days), “God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
Though most all of us probably do not have an assassination plot going on for our lives right now, in subtle ways there are things happening behind the scenes to discourage us from living out the purpose God has for our lives. We all have things in our lives that are attempting to disqualify us to participate in God’s mission which is the same as it was when He sent Paul to Rome.
If you are facing discouragement, think back to God’s call on your life and what He has called you to be about. If you don’t know what that is, spend some time in silence and solitude to hear his still, small voice. Sometimes we have to disconnect from our cell phones, PDA’s, computers and other modern devices (as helpful as they can sometimes be in keeping us connected with our friends), to block out the noise so we can hear God (Trust me I know that from experience). Recently on my morning runs I have tried to pray and listen to God, which happens a lot better without my IPOD on, as much as I love to listen to music too! Paul was steadfast and immovable in His purpose-driven life because he was open to hearing God’s voice and importantly obeying it. God spoke to him in clear ways, because he was attentive to listen and quick to respond.
Prayer: God speak to us so that we might hear your voice and go to the places you have called us to share the gospel. Even if that is across the living room, or to the next cubicle at the office. We know you will speak to us if we take the time to hear your still, small voice. Then give us the courage like Paul to follow through in obedience to your call on our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
6Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
9There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
Observation: Paul takes himself out of the center of attention by bringing up an age old argument between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Sadducees were more rationalistic in their worldview and were less open miraculous events like the resurrection of the dead. (Even though this sort of thing happened in their own Old Testament scriptures). This frees up some time for Paul to get out of “dodge”.
At the end of this passage, Paul is visited by the Lord again, who prophesies that Paul will also give witness in Rome to the Resurrection. The question is how is he going to get there? Well, it just so happens that due the uproar and subsequent plot to ambush Paul, he gets the attention of the Roman soldiers through his nephew who overhears the plot against his uncle.
This is where the Roman citizen part comes into play, as the commander agrees to get him to Governor Felix for a fair and just trial, also sparing Paul from the night ambush. Again, we see God at work in all these events to allow Paul a chance to fulfill the prophesy Jesus had given him that he would testify for him in Rome.
Application:
So often when things go wrong in our lives, we are tempted to whine and complain, or throw a full on “pity party”. But see here time and time again God using Paul’s desperate circumstances to further the propagation of the Good News of Jesus Christ. This will prompt Paul to write in chapter 8 of the book of Romans (which we will be studying in a few days), “God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”
Though most all of us probably do not have an assassination plot going on for our lives right now, in subtle ways there are things happening behind the scenes to discourage us from living out the purpose God has for our lives. We all have things in our lives that are attempting to disqualify us to participate in God’s mission which is the same as it was when He sent Paul to Rome.
If you are facing discouragement, think back to God’s call on your life and what He has called you to be about. If you don’t know what that is, spend some time in silence and solitude to hear his still, small voice. Sometimes we have to disconnect from our cell phones, PDA’s, computers and other modern devices (as helpful as they can sometimes be in keeping us connected with our friends), to block out the noise so we can hear God (Trust me I know that from experience). Recently on my morning runs I have tried to pray and listen to God, which happens a lot better without my IPOD on, as much as I love to listen to music too! Paul was steadfast and immovable in His purpose-driven life because he was open to hearing God’s voice and importantly obeying it. God spoke to him in clear ways, because he was attentive to listen and quick to respond.
Prayer: God speak to us so that we might hear your voice and go to the places you have called us to share the gospel. Even if that is across the living room, or to the next cubicle at the office. We know you will speak to us if we take the time to hear your still, small voice. Then give us the courage like Paul to follow through in obedience to your call on our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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