Month: August 2020

Good Monday morning, my brother!  Let us praise Our Lord Jesus today and thank Him for the blessing of the week to come!

Read I John 1 (again).

Last Friday, we examined the “foreverness” and divinity of Jesus the Messiah; and how He humbled Himself to step out of Heaven and become a man so that each of us could have fellowship with:

– one another.
– The Father.
– The Son, Jesus.

But as the campy television commercials used to say “But wait!  There’s more!”.  So in vv 4 of this letter, the apostle John describes the “more” that is available to each of us because we are in these three scriptural fellowships. John says he writes these things to us so that our “joy may be full”.  This statement underscores and reiterates the promises of Jesus recorded in John’s gospel chapters 15 and 16: “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” and “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”.  Friend, do you see a theme here?  As Followers of Christ, we are able to walk in fullness of joy, solely through fellowship with Our Savior.  Indeed, this full joy should be one of our (and every Believer’s) most potent evangels – others should see and cherish the joy we possess.

In the next portion of his letter, John addresses the issue of sin in a methodical, Spirit-breathed manner.   Like an accomplished attorney arguing his case, John deals with the question of sin in our lives:

1 – God cannot sin. (vv 5):  “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
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2 – True Believers cannot choose to walk in willful sin.  (vv 6):  “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”.

3- As Believers, we are to walk with Our Lord. (vv 7):  “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another”.
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4 – There is a remedy for sin.  (vv 7): “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”.

5 – Believers sin.  (vvs 8, 10): “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” and “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”.

6 – We can be made clean.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”.

We will close this morning’s study by briefly considering three of the numbered points above:

In #2, the Word establishes an unambiguous standard for every Christian’s behavior.  Leaders of Christian denominations and other Christian organizations that appoint ministers openly and unrepentantly walking in what our the LORD has clearly called “sin” are forsaking their namesake.  Later in John’s letter, he declares this about sin (vv 3:4): “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”.  Sin is serious!

‭‭In #4 and #6, Jesus has provided each of us with a path to righteousness and restoration and forgiveness – and that, my friend, is the reason we have fullness of joy!

Lord Jesus, I thank You that You came to save me.  I thank You, my Lord, that Your blood cleanses me from all sin. Walk with me today, Jesus, and fill me with Your peace and Your joy!  Amen!

Felicitations to you on this fine Friday morning, my brother!  And let us give our Good God praise for His help and His protection during this week!

Read I John 1.

What an amazing passage this is!  Written by the apostle John to early (and unspecified) churches,  it is obvious that one of the key purposes of the letter is to address and put to rest any questions about the divinity and eternal nature of Our Lord Jesus.  John wrote his gospel account for much the same reason; therefore, this letter and his gospel open in a similar manner – that is, John begins both with a powerful and beautiful defense (apologetic) of the preexistence, the “foreverness” of Christ.

So, let us examine closely the initial phrase of John’s letter to us (vv 1): “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—”.  Clearly, John is here referring to the Messiah, Christ Jesus.  This opening parallels John’s first statement in his gospel account: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”.  Many times, both of these statements are correctly associated with the very first words in our Bibles, from Genesis 1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”.  But there is an important distinction – Genesis refers to a beginning that commences with the creation; John is referencing a beginning that is, and was, eternal; that is, a beginning before creation. And in that eternity, in that time before creation, was Jesus.  As He rightfully describes Himself in Revelation 1:8: “”I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.””.  The apostle Paul described the eternal nature of Our Lord Jesus like this in Colossians 1:  “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”.

Jesus is eternal.

He was “there” before all things.

Returning to John’s letter, the opening declaration to us reveals another important aspect of Jesus – that He was manifested in the flesh, in the form of a man. And the apostle John not only saw Him, but knew Him, and even touched Him ( vv 1 – “our hands have handled”).
Yes, Jesus truly was eternal God, who stepped out of Heaven and became a man, all so that fellowship between God and man could be restored.  Here is how John says it in his letter, and this is precisely why the letter was written to each of us (vv 3):  “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”.

God willing, we will consider more of John’s letter next week.

Lord Jesus, I stand amazed before You. You are indeed the Alpha and the Omega, the eternal “I Am”.  And You humbled Yourself to come into the world to save me!  Thank You, Jesus!  Amen!

Thursday morning greetings to you, my friend! We are blessed to be counted as the children of Our Most High God!

Read Hebrews 11:13 – 40.

This passage contains the latter portion of the “Hall of Faith”. Before we practically apply today’s reading, let us review just some of the names featured in God’s Hall of Faith:

Abel
Enoch
Noah
Abraham
Issac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Rahab
Gideon
David
Samuel

While not comprehensive, this is certainly an amazing list of names – true Biblical heroes, every one of them! As Believers, we are familiar with their stories; their exploits; their testimonies; and, most of all, the faith in God that each one possessed.

But the Hall of Faith contains others, as well – the prophets, who, for reasons known only to the Holy Spirit, are not named in this epistle. What is detailed, however, are the miracles, the triumphs, the glory, and the obedience that all of these “unnamed” were able to achieve because they walked in complete and unshakable faith in the LORD.
Acts of steadfast faith like (vvs 33 – 37): “who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—”. A pretty amazing compilation – and it is quite likely the last few acts of faith contained in this scripture would never be included in today’s “best life” books about faith.

But the Spirit has this to say about those “unnamed” who walked in such great faith (vv 38): “the world was not worthy.”. These unnamed heroes, and their mighty acts of faithfulness to God, have been recorded for eternity in Heaven. The message to all Believers here in our passage from Hebrews is closely paralleled by the words of Our Lord Himself (Matthew 25:23): “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”.

Brothers, now is the time for our faith to be built and established and increased, so when the time comes, we also may be counted among the unnamed, yet honored, in God’s great Hall of Faith! And because we have been faithful, we will hear those wonderful words from Our Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant; Enter into the joy of your Lord”.
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So how do we build our faith? Ephesians 3:16-19 says: “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”.

Seek God. Let Christ dwell in your heart. Be filled with the Spirit. Know – really know – the love of Christ. Ask our Good God for more faith. If you do these things, your faith will assuredly be strengthened!

LORD, I ask You to fill me with Your Spirit. Help me, O LORD, to fully comprehend the depth of the love that You have shown me through Your Son, Jesus. Strengthen me with Your might, and increase my faith, so that I can stand for You, today, and always! Amen!

A wonderful Wednesday morning to you, my friend!  Let us praise our Good God for the day He has given us!

Read Galatians 5:13 – 6:2

Many theologians would take the position that the overarching theme of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is freedom in Christ Jesus, and that subject is addressed in the opening of today’s reading.  But notice carefully how the Believers’ call to liberty through Christ is qualified in the word – not liberty (freedom) that is an opportunity for us to fulfill our fleshly desires.  But instead, Christ has given us freedom so that we might love one another, and serve one another!  In these times when so many are raising their voices to cry out for liberty and for the protection of their rights, we would do well to remember that true Christ-like freedom comes with a charge, a responsibility to serve and to love others.

And then Paul gives each of us another “freedom lesson” in vv 16:  “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”.  That is, be full of God’s Spirit, embrace all that the Spirit has for you, and be directed by the Spirit; and if you do, you will overcome the works of the flesh.  By walking in the Spirit, we can be free of all of the fleshly desires that are detailed in vvs 19 – 21: “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like”.  Wow!  What a list!  My brother, each of us should be constantly praising our Good God for giving us freedom from doing all of these things – what grace He has shown each of us through His Spirit!  And before moving from this portion of the scripture, pay close attention to the clear admonition contained in vv 21 for those who continue to indulge in the works of the flesh: “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”.
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Next, Paul turns to those things “against which there is no law”, those things that we can freely embrace, and which provide each of us true freedom – namely, the fruit of the Spirit (vv 22 – 23): “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.  Take close note of the last “fruit”, my brother – self-control. Freedom in Christ includes self-control – clearly, this is not freedom in the way the world would define freedom!

And finally, Paul ends today’s passage with a wonderful “freedom exhortation” for every one of us (vv 5:25 – 6:2):  “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”.

My brothers, in another (patriotic) context, we often hear the phrase “freedom isn’t free”. And in the Kingdom of God, we are certain that freedom isn’t free!  Christ suffered, His blood was shed, and He died so that we could be set free. Let us walk in His freedom, remembering always the price He paid to make us free. Amen!

Tuesday morning blessings to you and your loved ones, my friend!  May the peace of Our Lord and Savior Jesus rule in your life today!

Read Exodus 14:31 – 15:18.

The events (and song) recorded in today’s scripture occurred immediately following the miraculous deliverance of the children of Israel from the pursuing Egyptians.  As you read through this passage, pay close attention to the overall structure of what is called “The Song of Moses” (Moses is joined in this song by all of the saved of Israel).  And as you read this morning, consider the picture that is being conveyed – in light of the great victory that has just been achieved by and through the powerful “right hand” of God, the children of Israel are raising a standard, a banner, by way of the song they lift to the LORD. And while the song seems to us to be intangible, it is indeed real and significant- Israel’s act of “raising a Hallelujah” is akin to the iconic picture of our Marines raising the Stars and Stripes on Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima.

It should not be surprising to us that the song opens with praise to our God, the LORD who has just shown Himself to Israel to be mighty and incredible. Truly, the song begins by “raising a Hallelujah”!

In the middle portion of their song-banner, the children of Israel recount in great detail the victory that they have just witnessed. Through this part of the song, they are establishing a testimony – emphasizing and restating every aspect of the LORD’s power and His salvation and His miracle.

Then, beginning in vv 13 and through the remainder of the song, the children of Israel launch into a “declaration of holy anticipation”. That is, they begin to declare that they will see the LORD do more and greater miracles on their behalf as they continue on their journey into the sanctuary land that God has promised them.  Unfortunately, we know that almost all of the children of Israel that raised this song, that witnessed this victory, that declared this testimony – they were unable to fully possess it.  Later, their hearts would become fearful, but that is another study!

Brothers, each of us face battles in our lives today. And to us, our battles are just as real and just as significant as the threat posed to the children of Israel by their Egyptian pursuers.  We would do well to embrace the lessons we see in “The Song of Moses”:

1 – Praise our Good God during, through, and after the battle!  Raise a Hallelujah!

2 – Establish your testimonies. Remember the times that our Good God has delivered you; that He has saved you; that He has made Himself known to you through His power and His miracles; and think about those times. Write them down. Get them deep inside of you, so that you can remember them the next time you face a battle.

3 – Declare His victories in advance. Don’t wait for the battle – it will inevitably come for every Believer! But until the battle comes, declare that He is victorious, and because He is victorious, you will possess every promise he has for you!

LORD, I praise Your mighty and powerful Name today!  Thank You, LORD, for every victory, every miracle you have already provided for me!  And thank You LORD, that You go before me today to fight my battles!  Amen!

Blessings to you my friend on this Monday!  During this coming week, let us seek the LORD and look for opportunities to build His Kingdom.

Read Psalm 141. Selah.

This psalm begins with a strong and direct cry to the LORD. David is emphatic – he needs God to hear his heartfelt appeal, because this is a psalm of introspection.  David judges that being “inwardly clean” before the LORD is so vitally important that he petitions Him with words of sacrifice (vv 2): “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”.  Brothers, we would do well to remember David’s approach when we bring an important matter before the LORD – let us enter into his presence with a sacrifice (of praise, of thanksgiving, of posture).

Next, the psalmist asks for the LORD’s help in disciplining his mouth, his lips, his words.  David realizes that ill-spoken words can lead to evil pervading other areas of his life. Proverbs 21:23 says it this way: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.”

Then, in vv 4, the writer requests the LORD’s help in keeping his heart from evil and for protection from men who practice wickedness and work iniquity.  Brother, as the world continues its descent into lawlessness and immortality, we would do well to make this specific petition of David a part of our own prayer lives. Let us regularly ask our LORD to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51).

In vv 5, David acknowledges that correction from a righteous man is a good thing.  Friend, let us always be willing to receive counsel, correction and instruction from a righteous brother without taking offense; knowing that our LORD has placed us in community with other Believers for our growth and for our good and for our protection. Hebrews 3 says “but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”; and Proverbs 3 tells us “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”.  Similarly, let each of us be prepared to approach a brother who is in need of exhortation, bringing correction (fearlessly, but with love and grace) if correction is needed.

Finally, David closes out the Psalm with an interesting series of contrasting petitions (vv 8-10):  “But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.”.  As we examine these verses, it is clear that our escape (our safety, our freedom, our salvation, our deliverance) from the traps and the snares placed by the wicked comes when we fix our eyes on the LORD Almighty.  Micah 7 encourages us in this: “Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.”.
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LORD, I enter into Your presence with a sacrifice of praise. Help me today to speak words of blessing and edification and truth; examine my heart and renew my spirit; and help me to keep my eyes fixed only on You.  Deliver me from all wickedness and evil, LORD, for You are my refuge!  Amen!

LORD, thank You for Your faithfulness and help through another week!  A wonderful Friday morning to you, my friend!

Read Hebrews 13:5 – 21.

As we have discussed previously, this passage is filled with wonderful and timely exhortations for every Believer.  Today, as you read, consider the following important Kingdom points:

Starting with the middle of vv 9, and continuing on for the next couple of verses, the writer shifts to some illustrations that are intended to be easily understood by Jewish Believers.  These pictures point them, and all of us, to the amazing “altar” of Christ crucified.

In vv 13, an invitation (or perhaps a challenge!) is issued to every Believer – “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”  He was crucified outside (to the Jews, being outside the camp was a place that was unclean) and each of us are told to join Him there; and further, we are to embrace His reproach (the dictionary defines reproach as “an act of blame, discredit, or disgrace”).  A tough exhortation for every Believer!  But, it is this concept of “embracing the cross” that is important for every one of us living in this world today.  We need to be prepared to be “put outside”, to be shunned, and blamed, and disgraced; all because we have “gone forth to Him”.  The apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:  “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”.  And this concept is echoed by Paul in Galatians 2: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”.
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Are you willing to join Him?  The answer is yes and the reason is provided in vv 14: “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.”.  My friend, this world is not our home!  Any sufferings we experience here will pale in comparison to the glory we will experience when we are restored to Him, and with Him forever!

Next, the writer of Hebrews instructs us to offer up sacrifices to God, but not what we might consider traditional sacrifices.  Instead, our sacrifices to our Good God are to be continuous praise; doing good; and sharing.  My brothers, praise God that these are the sacrifices He asks for!  Because we all can do them!  So let us be obedient in offering up these simple sacrifices continually.   Hosea 14 says: “Take words with you, And return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.”.   And our Savior Himself says in Luke 6: “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”.
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Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross. And thank You for giving me the strength and the endurance and the faith to join You in the fellowship of Your sufferings, knowing that You have prepared a place for me in Your Father’s house. I praise You and magnify You today, my Lord!  Receive my sacrifice of praise!  Amen!

My friend, felicitations on this fine Thursday morning!  May the peace of Our Lord reign over you and those you love today!

Read Hebrews 13:5 – 21 (again).

Yesterday, we closely considered the majesty of vv 5 of our passage, which promised contentment and the LORD’s faithfulness to us as Believers.

As you reread today’s scripture, take note of the following:

In vv 8, the Spirit directly testifies about the eternal character of Our Lord “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Yes. He. Is.

Jesus never changes – this is a fundamental point for every Believer. Because Jesus is both The Truth and also our perfect example, He can rightly speak the words “Follow Me”.  You and I are known as “Followers” because of Jesus’ exhortation to all who believe on Him to follow Him.  “Follow Me” He said to those around Him – and “Follow Me” He says to each of us. We follow Him with confidence because we know that Jesus is the same forever – no changing, no variation, no wavering. Therefore, He is our standard, and that standard is eternally fixed – by Him, and in Him.  According to Proverbs, the LORD hates changing standards (20:10): “Diverse weights and diverse measures, They are both alike, an abomination to the LORD.”.  I thank You, Jesus, because You never change!
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Immediately following the proclamation of Jesus’ eternal constancy, the Spirit provides us with a related exhortation (vv 9) “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace,”.  Brothers, we are living in the age of various and strange doctrines!  Jesus Himself says that in the last days “many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew‬ ‭24:5‬).  The apostle Peter warns us in great detail (II Peter 2): “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;”.
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But II John 1 tells us “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”.

Again, Jesus is The Truth and our standard!  Friends, let us abide always in the true, eternal, and never-changing doctrine of Christ!

Because of the richness of Hebrews 13, we will return to complete this consideration, our Good God willing.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for word today.  Thank You for coming into the world to save me, and for inviting me to follow You.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit, so that I can discern and stand against deception. Help me, Lord, to see only Your truth and to hear only Your voice, today, and always!  Amen!

My brother, a fine Wednesday morning to you!  May Our Lord bless you with in every way as you go forth today!

Read Hebrews 13:5 – 21.

Our reading contains timely and powerful exhortations for every Believer.  To me, it is remarkable that the Spirit, using the writer of Hebrews (likely Paul), seems to be speaking directly to us by this passage; guiding each of us through the many challenges we face in today’s world.

Just consider the following:

In vv 5, the Spirit tells us that we are to be different – that our conduct should be different from the world’s; and certainly our conduct should transcend our own fleshly desires. In fact, we should “be without covetousness”. So, what is covetousness?  The Greek word for covetousness here is used only 1 other time in the New Testament (I Tim 3) and it means to be “greedy for gain” – certainly, “greedy for gain” is one of the primary and most common characteristics of man in his natural state. Then, in the same breath, the Spirit tells us what our walk should actually look like because we have God “on board” – we are to be content.  Simply put, man separate from God is greedy; but man with God is content.

And then the writer of Hebrews provides additional support for the contentment of the Believer by quoting Deuteronomy 31 (twice) along with Joshua 1:  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”.  This promise, made by the LORD before the children of Israel entered into the land that had been given to them, is as applicable to each of us today as it was when the promise was originally pronounced.  Deuteronomy 31:8 reads like this:  “And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”.  My brother, be encouraged!  The LORD, creator of the heavens and the earth, He is the One that goes before you as you go out today!  Receive this magnificent declaration – and walk in the fullness of His contentment!

Before we move on from the promise contained in vv 5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, there is one other important point to be made – in the English, this promise might be considered bad grammar, due to the use of double negatives.  But, believe it or not, the statement in the original Greek contains a total of five negatives!  And several of those are an absolute, emphatic form of the negative.  It is as if the LORD is capitalizing, emphasizing, and underscoring His faithfulness to each of us.  Charles Spurgeon said this about the five-force promise as presented in the original Greek: “It is as though it said, ‘I will not, not leave thee; I will never, no never, forsake thee.’ “.

Thank You, LORD, for Your eternal and unshakable faithfulness towards me!  Amen!

And that, my friend, brings us to the end of our consideration of the opening verse of today’s scripture. God willing, we will continue on with our survey of the remainder of the passage tomorrow.  In the interim, be content!

Finally, receive this amazing and very personal declaration contained in Hebrews 13 (vvs 20, 21) as you begin your day: “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Thank you, Lord, for this Tuesday morning that You have given us – we  will rejoice and be glad in it!  Good morning, my friend!

Read Acts 17:15 – 34.

This passage details the apostle Paul’s celebrated visit to Athens.  Interestingly, Paul arrives in Athens after having been sent away from Berea by the new Believers there – because disgruntled Jews had followed him all the way from Thessalonica, threatening the good Kingdom work that Paul had just established in Berea.

As you read the passage today, take note of the following:

Despite Paul’s inauspicious arrival in Athens, he remains “on mission” – after all, in Acts 9 he had received a direct charge from the Lord to carry the Good News to the Gentiles. When he observes that Athens, a spectacular location that had until recently functioned as the center of all culture and power in the known world, is a city given over to idols, he begins to proclaim the Truth of the Gospel.  Paul is bold, he is fearless, he is prepared, and he is unashamed of the Gospel. Brothers, let us each prepare to take a page out of Paul’s playbook. That is, despite facing hostility and today’s idolatry, the Spirit will give us the opportunity and the words and the courage to declare His Truth.

What did Paul declare in Athens?  Exactly what he imparted in every place he visited!  This simple message (vv 18): “he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.”  We would do well to always remember the excellence of the Gospel “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” –
‭‭Acts‬ ‭4:33‬.

What was the result of Paul’s bold declaration of God’s Good News?  According to vv 32, “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter. ”.  Friends, when we discharge our responsibility to tell others about Our Lord and Savior, recognize that some will be receptive; but some will abruptly and utterly (and perhaps arrogantly and impolitely) reject the Gospel.  According to I Corinthians 1: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”.

Finally, consider carefully the closing verse of our reading today (vv 34) “However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”.  The Gospel was declared in the city of idols, and some received and believed!  And at the same time in Heaven, according to Jesus, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10).

Brother, just like Paul, you and I have been given a direct charge by Our Lord to take His Good News into the world.  And this world needs Jesus.

Thank You, LORD, for Your Son and for His resurrection.  Give me the opportunity and the grace and the boldness to speak Your Truth in the face of opposition and the idols that I encounter today!  Amen!