“Lukewarm in Laodicea”

Scripture: Colossians 4:12-17, Revelation 3:14-22

Today is our last visit to some of the churches where Paul introduced the good news of Jesus Christ. His three journeys took him to nearly 30 cities that we know of, and he remained in many of them for several years at a time. Some of the people received him and his message with open arms, while others greeted him with clenched fists. But Paul and his followers were never deterred – they were beaten, charged with crimes, imprisoned, stoned, chased out of town, and worse, but they never denied the call that the Lord God Almighty had placed on their lives.

Laodicea was located in Asia – what we know as eastern Turkey, and while scripture doesn’t include a Pauline letter to this church, there is some evidence that a letter did exist. Whether it actually came from Paul, or one of his followers, or someone later in the faith, it contains an insinuation of a danger of heretical teaching in this city, as well as in Colosse.

So let’s see what’s up in these cities.

Read Colossians 4:12-17

Laodicea and Hieropolis were located in close proximity, and Colosse was about 10 miles away. The passage refers to Epaphras, who by this description, may have been the pastor of the house churches in all three communities. If so, that would be a reason for common problems that may have developed within them. In Colossians 2:8, we read of Paul’s admonition to be aware of those who promote “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” This will always be the primary danger to the Church.

There’s an old story about a time when Satan was meeting with some of his demons, where they were planning their attacks against the Church. Some suggested a campaign of violence against believers, others suggested destruction of all the Bibles in the world, and there were other similar thoughts on how to stop the spread of Godly ways. Finally, one demon offered the possibility of simply planting doubt and questions in the minds of humans, and it was then that Satan rejoiced. The other attacks would just make people more determined to follow Jesus, while doubt and questioning is already ingrained in our being.

That is exactly what Paul’s caution was about. “Hollow and deceptive philosophy” has always been the greatest enemy of the Church, and that is our problem today. It isn’t based on the word of God, it isn’t based in the teaching of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit – it is all about “human tradition and the … principles of the world”. John Wesley’s teachings have inspired a way of study and learning that we know as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, which consists of “Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason”. Wesley always felt that scripture had to take first place, that it must be the primary source in all that we learn and do, and that the other three would be used to help us live within the Word. The world, in their deception, would have us believe that all four have equal standing, and that human tradition and earthly principles have just as much validity for us as does God’s will.

And this is what was happening to the churches, and is why Paul wanted letters to be passed around. He was in prison in Rome, awaiting his death sentence, but never shirking his responsibilities to the Church. He had apparently heard that false teaching was creeping into the faith, and he couldn’t let it continue.

His letter to the Colossians holds some very pointed teaching, and Paul wants that correction to be shared among all three churches – and the letter that Laodicea has received was to be shared in Colosse.

Read Revelation 3:14-22

In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, there are “letters” to seven of the churches in Asia (Turkey). Two of the churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, receive praise for their faith, four others receive expressions of both praise and concern, but for Laodicea, there isn’t a single word of redeeming value. It was, as we saw with a number of other cities on Paul’s circuit, situated on a crossroads between the west and the east, and was, by its very nature, metropolitan. Banking and finance, commerce, philosophy, medicine – they all thrived and were vital parts of the Laodicean culture, to the demise of the church.

So what does this “letter” say about Laodicea?

It begins with “These are the words of the Amen”. John wants the church to understand that these aren’t his thoughts, and that they aren’t his condemnation, but that it comes directly from Jesus Christ. The word “Amen” implies trustworthiness and agreement, and when it is used in this context, it means that Jesus is the absolute authority and witness that cannot be questioned, and that it is his condemnation that is being handed down.

The first condemnation is that this church is “lukewarm”. Consider the example of coffee. People like hot coffee, and some even like iced coffee (I’m not one of them, though!), but have you ever drank lukewarm coffee? It’s not an especially enticing beverage!
In essence, the church is being charged with being indifferent to the faith. The Lord rejoices over those who love his ways, and keep them. And the Lord even sees those who are not with him as those who are at least honest, as they can still be won over to his truth. But those who are straddling the fence of faith, those who can take God’s word or leave it, those who think they can make the commandments mean anything they want them to – they will never have any place in his presence.

The next issue was their worthless dependence on worldly goods and ways. Remember the story about the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he had to do to be saved? And when he heard that it could never be found through his wealth, he went away sad. Jesus reminds us in Mark 10:17-31 “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” And Laodicea’s worldly wealth has turned them into the pitiful poor who have no hope for heaven.

The words that God uses to describe their condition are abrupt and shameful. Wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, naked – life doesn’t get much worse than that! But true worth, true riches, will only come from true faith, in the one true God, and in the true words and ways that he has given us. And when we surrender our life to the fullness of the Lord’s love, we will be clothed in his grace, and our blindness will be healed.

And the Lord’s final word to the church is that he only disciplines and corrects those who he loves, which, incidentally, is the entirety of his creation! And correction comes when we honestly repent of our wayward ways. Jesus calls us in love, and he never demands that we love him back, but he will always be ready and waiting to be welcomed into our life.

And when we open the door of our heart to our Almighty King, he will come in, and nourish us, and we will be the joy of his eternal heart. And Laodicea was missing out on all that obedient faith in him could bring.

May none of us ever find ourselves rejected from the presence of Jesus.

“Searching for Truth in Ephesus”

Scripture: Acts 19:23-34, Ephesians 1:11-14, Revelation 2:4-7

Originally, Christianity was known as “The Way” – a reference to John 14:6-7, in which Jesus told his disciples “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And even though many other faith expressions also believe that they are the only true religion, Christianity’s claim seems to have made them the target of more violent persecution than all of the rest. In Matthew 10:21-23, Jesus told his followers that, in spite of the fact that they will be hated by everyone, if they remain faithful, they will know his salvation! Hated by everyone? Talk about a prophesy!

This isn’t a recent phenomenon, though – it has been our reality since the Church began. Paul had learned that Jesus’ words could always be trusted, but that it would take some effort to get others to accept them. He was experiencing the same persecution that he had originally heaped upon the Church, but he was also remaining faithful to the call that the Lord had placed on his life. No matter what came against him, he continued to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior of all.

And after his experiences in Corinth, he journeyed to Ephesus.

Read Acts 19:23-27

Artemis was the Greek goddess of the hunt. She was usually depicted, whether in statue or picture, with hunting weapons and usually with an animal. She was one of the most popular of the gods, and the sale of items with her image on them was very lucrative. But Ephesus, being a Greek city under Roman influence, was brimming with idol worship, but none as profitable as Artemis.

The truth of Christ has a powerful effect on people – both for those who accept his message, as well as those who reject him. For believers, the Lord brings a whole new perspective to their lives. They find hope in the presence of hatred; they find life in the face of death; they receive truth even when others do their worst to convince them otherwise.
But for those who reject him, they feel threatened when their false beliefs come under the light of Christ, and they strike back in any way they can. Demetrius begins by stirring up the other craftsmen by telling them that their businesses will be going down the drain because of Paul, that he is spreading lies about their gods and people are buying into it. Interesting isn’t it, that it has nothing to do with the goddess per se, it doesn’t even have anything to do directly with Jesus Christ - it’s all about their business! It’s an age old truth – the desires of earth will always get in the way of faith, and for the artisans of Ephesus, it was especially true. Anything that got in the way of their making money must be a deception!

Scripture tells us over and over that God has created everything that we will ever need, that those things made by “human hands” will never satisfy us, and will never last to our benefit. In Exodus 20:4-6, the second commandment that God handed down to Moses, tells us that we must never make idols in the image of anything – not those things of heaven, and not those things of earth. And other passages speak to the fact that images made by human hands are worthless and impotent. (e.g. Isaiah 37:19-20; 1 Timothy 6:9-11)

Read Acts 19:28-34

And a mob was growing, incited by the fears of the craftsmen. They were becoming more and more angry at Paul, without ever knowing why. But Paul, ever ready to proclaim Christ, wanted to address the unruly crowd, seeing this as an opportunity to lift up the hope of Christ in this anxious and lost city. But reason and truth by the evangelists wasn’t going to bring peace back to the crowd.

Confusion reigned, and this is one of those times when evangelism can’t seem to make a dent in the world. The mob had become irrational, and for the first time, Paul wasn’t getting through to the people. One of their own would have to settle them down before things got any worse. And what would it take?

A city official would have to remind them that these Jews hadn’t done anything to break the law, and that if Demetrius and the other artisans wanted to pursue the matter, they should do it within their legal means, that rioting would never be the answer. It would not set well with the Romans, and the outcome would not go well for the city. (Acts 19:35-41)

This is one of those times in our lives when the only thing we can do is shake the dust from our feet, and step back.

But what about the people? Aren’t they worth our time and love? Of course they are, but only in the Lord’s time. And the Lord’s time would come for Ephesus.

Read Ephesians 1:11-14

The rioting that we read about in Acts 19 would eventually calm down, and Paul would make some headway in the community. The Church would be established, and the evangelist would spend a few years in the city, teaching, preaching, and showing the people who Jesus could be for them. The faith must have grown and become much stronger, for in Acts 20:16-21, when he begins his journey back to Jerusalem, he meets with the church’s elders to encourage them, and to remind them of all he had brought to their lives. He had made a difference in Ephesus, even though it had started badly, but when the Lord has a plan, nothing can ever defeat it!

By the time Paul wrote this letter to the church, he is in a Roman prison. Which is another lesson that we have to learn. Neither rioting, nor complacency, nor worldly rejection, nor imprisonment should ever keep us from sharing Jesus with others!

And nothing would hold Paul back. The church had certainly gone through some tough times – both while Paul was there, and since he left. And now he is showing them that everyone has a God-ordained purpose in the church. He speaks of his place, as a Jew, to believe and then to introduce them to the Risen Lord. He also lets them know that they, too have a purpose, which was to come to the Lord’s offer of salvation, and in that, they were “marked” with a seal from the Holy Spirit.

The point being that we all have a purpose in God’s grand scheme of things. It all revolves around the Lord’s timing that keeps his glorious plan on track. When our efforts seem to make no difference in the lives of the world, it just may be that we are either witnessing on our own and not in the Lord, or we have stepped out at the wrong time. And if we aren’t working at all for the Lord, he will show us the error of our ways, and call us to follow him once again.

For the Ephesians, he wanted them to know that the God of Israel was no longer limited to the Jews, that in the unity of the Almighty, His great and divine plan was for them all. His joy and His pleasure were for all who would believe, and that those things of earth that had previously held their attention and hope, could never come close to what their Lord Jesus could bring.

And we all have a place in God’s plan too – if we will follow and obey.

Read Revelation 2:4-7

And sometimes we lose sight of the Lord’s plan, and begin making our own way – again. Artemis worshippers would never give up in their attack against Christ; orthodox Jews were always trying to undo the efforts of Christian evangelists and reintroduce the demands of the law as the means to God’s pleasure; the worldly nature of Ephesus in its international trade and wealth would be an attraction that many would be unable to resist.
And unless the Church is intentional in its work to proclaim Jesus to others, we will always be susceptible to falling into their ways, instead of leading others into the way of Jesus Christ.

God is unity and consistency. He holds the entire Church to accountability in the truth that Christ proclaimed, and in the reminders and calls that come to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. No one receives one divine expectation, while another gets a contradictory command. We may be called to live out the Lord’s word in unique ways, but the intent must always be the same – to keep the love and way of God foremost in our lives.

The judgment against Ephesus was that they had forsaken the love of the Lord - their first love. Their love of Christ had been dampened. It’s one thing to claim that you love the Lord, and proclaim his commands, but unless we love that way with all our heart, we are likely to lose our focus on that love and what it must mean for us. The judgment may also mean that they had allowed the influences of the world to cloud their faith, and to lead them in ungodly ways.

Either way, repentance is our only way back to that “first love”. They may have understood the errors of the ways others followed, but we have to wonder what they actually did about it?

The bottom line for Ephesus and for us all? If we have ears to hear, we had better listen to what the Spirit of God is calling us, as the Church, to do. And if we listen, and if we respond to the Spirit’s call, we can still know eternal life.

But the alternative? It can never be good!!!!

“Ups and Downs in Corinth”

Scripture: Acts 18:1-16, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Paul was a great evangelist for Jesus Christ because he had passion – he had a zeal that exceeded that of most people in his day, and probably in this one, too. But there was a problem – in Galatians 1:13-17, we read that his fervor in the old days, those days before he met the Living Christ, was exhibited in his persecution of the church and, in his words, “the traditions of my fathers”. Those traditions were in the Law of Moses.

But after discovering the truth of Jesus, he wrote in Romans 12:1-2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It isn’t only our minds that are transformed by faith in Christ, it is everything about our life that changes – our heart, our spirit, our passions, and especially our guiding principles. Paul had become a new man in Jesus.

And you would think that if someone had been so radically changed as Paul had been, that everyone would see the passion and excitement that underscored every word that he spoke, that that his renewed spirit would inspire others to seek out the reason for his love of Christ. Sometimes it did, but at other times, it only caused opposition to that truth. And usually, they both occurred in the same community.

Read Acts 18:1-4

Paul met a couple whose names were Aquila and Pricilla. They would have been skilled artisans in both cloths and leathers, just as Paul was, and they formed an immediate bond. As we continue to read through the book of Acts, this couple will be mentioned over and over again. They would become hosts for a house church, and by their faithful example and teaching, others would also come to the Lord. That’s how it’s supposed to work, but we also read that Paul spent his Sabbaths reasoning with the Jews and Greeks in synagogue, trying to convince them of the Godly truth that is only found in the life of Jesus.

“Trying” is the operative word – in synagogue he, apparently, was seldom successful in winning souls for the Lord. Sometimes, our passion for the Lord God Almighty is just that – our passion, and others see no value in receiving it themselves. It is discouraging at best, but it can never be a reason to stop “trying”. And Paul didn’t. He would never stop proclaiming Jesus wherever he went, and that is the example he sets for us. Not in adversity, not in strife, not in persecution, not in anything that the world threw at him, and neither should we – no one should ever be deterred from sharing Jesus with the world.

His life tells us that if we continue to love the Lord and never stop trying to show others just how much he loves them, we will discover that other people love Jesus, too, and they will encourage us, and help us, and we will learn from each other. That’s what a life in the Spirit will always do for us.

Read Acts 18:5-10

Corinth would be one of those proverbial “tough nuts” for Paul to crack in his ministry. But the Lord had lead him here, and he wasn’t about to leave to seek gentler towns. The Lord had a plan to help the apostle– we read that when Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth, Paul was able to devote his entire time to preaching the gospel. Missioners, rabbis, and the like were all expected to support themselves through a trade, and not to depend on others for life’s necessities. But when the two friends arrived, they either brought with them a support gift from the Macedonian church, or they intended to help Paul with their own personal support.

Either way, the evangelist had been freed up to spend all his time proclaiming Jesus, while not having to worry about personal needs. As was his custom, his first efforts were with his own countrymen, the local Jews, and when they refused his message of hope and life, he would turn to the Greeks. Paul wasn’t selective as to who he reached out to – if they would listen, he would share. So when the Jews began to show their loathing for the word of God, he loudly proclaimed that his obligation, his responsibility to them, was over – that he would offer salvation to someone else who would listen! (Matthew 21:33-45)

So how long are we to continue to proclaim Jesus to another person? Until the Lord tells us to move on. Matthew 10:14-15 tells us that in the Lord’s time, we continue to witness to God’s truth and glory, but when that time is over, when those others will not listen, it is time to move on, and take nothing of them with you. We read “leave that … town and shake the dust from your feet.” Paul’s time to leave had, apparently, not arrived yet, but his focus had changed – from solely with the Jews, to all people, throughout the city of Corinth.

Some would listen, though, and Paul was told to keep on speaking the truth of God to everyone, because the Lord wasn’t finished here yet – there were still many who would come to salvation, and Paul was to continue his mission until the Lord said “Go”.

Read Acts 18:11-16

The Jews even tried to bring legal action against Paul and those who had accepted the good news of Jesus Christ, but the courts were, apparently, an instrument of God, and wouldn’t hear the complaint. No matter what the people did, the Lord wouldn’t allow legal action to continue.

Isn’t it interesting that God will use any means to confound the world? Following the Babylonian exile, even Cyrus the Persian King became a servant of God. He released the people to return to the Promised Land, to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem, and he gave them the treasures that had been looted from the temple when Babylon had defeated the nation. And God can use each of us – even the most unlikely among us – to carry out his will and plan, if we let him!

So be ready, and willing, and eager to be a servant of the Most High God, to be part of his glorious plan. We aren’t always aware of what the Lord is up to in our lives, nor are we always able to understand why it is important, but we need to be open to hearing his word for us, and to follow his desires, wherever and whatever that may entail.

But why was the Corinthian Church is such a sorry state? Why did opposition continue long after the people should have seen the Light of Christ for themselves?

Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Paul had left Corinth and had moved on to his next assignment, but the turmoil had continued. It was no longer confined to the city in general – it had now blossomed within the church. And the reason – or at least part of it?

It seems that division had raised its ugly head. Instead of keeping their focus on Christ and Christ alone, some were beginning to identify with one or another of the evangelists who had visited the city at some time. This division doesn’t necessarily mean that any of them offered a false testimony to the people, but simply that some were interpreting the message that had been given to them in false ways.

Paul’s approach to the message of salvation was generally one of freedom – not freedom to do anything they wanted to, not freedom to continue sinning as they had before, but rather the freedom to give up sinful ways, the freedom to choose Jesus Christ as the truth and to let the world’s ways fall by the wayside. But for some, the concept of God’s freedom may have been perverted by false teaching regarding the intent of the freedom that comes in accepting life in the Lord.

Apollos was probably a man from Alexandria. As the early church began to spread to areas north, south and east of Jerusalem, and without any standard writing, such as the Bible, to guide their teaching, other schools of thought crept in. In Africa, there were some instances of Greek philosophy beginning to take hold within the church, and instead of salvation by faith, it was becoming more of a salvation by reason. And any evangelist who journeyed to other areas to spread the good news, might have carried some of this preconception with them.

Cephas was a Hebrew name, and legalism was still prevalent in many new converts to Christianity. Strict adherence to the Jewish laws – dietary, circumcision, and other issues – die hard, and even the Council of Jerusalem struggled with compromise over these matters that were so central to Jewish understanding.

False and divisive teaching was all but destroying the Church of Corinth. But Christ! What about those who gave their allegiance only to Jesus Christ? Paul hits the nail on the head when he asks the question “Is Christ divided?” Whenever human understanding creeps into the Church, nothing of any good can possibly come from it. And that is where our denomination is today.

There are too many voices speaking from their own wisdom and experience, there are too many divisive interpretations of scripture, there are too few who are committed to searching scripture to find the answers to that age old question – “What does God really want us to know and do?”

Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth were, to some degree, meant to encourage them to remain faithful to the truth. But to a greater extent, they were intended to correct the tendency to find an easier and more rational approach to faith.
Joshua had told the people, ages before, to “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:14-15). Paul was telling the Corinthians that same message – choose whom you will believe, but it needs to be Jesus! And the church of the 21st century must hear that same challenge very clearly – will you follow the gods of earth, or will you give your life to the God of Eternity?

And Corinth, and the early church, and we are also being called to choose wisely!

“Made Known in Athens”

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

As we continue to follow Paul on his three Missionary Journeys, we have seen how he was led by a vision of the man from Macedonia pleading for him to leave Turkey and to cross into the European regions of Thrace and Macedonia, which are, today, the country of Greece. The Mediterranean ports in this area were thriving with international trade, which brought a wide variety of philosophical, religious, and political thought to bear on the people. It had become widely accepted that you could believe and live in any way that you wanted to, without being condemned for your practices.

Today, we find Paul in the city of Athens, where the international flavor thrived as well or better than in any other city of the day. Philosophical and religious discussions could be found on nearly any street corner, and the fact that very little was every accomplished in those conversations didn’t bother anyone!

But Paul was about to enter into some of these verbal contests himself, and his words about Jesus were going to make a difference in the lives of many people.

Read Acts 17:16-18

Paul, being the astute evangelist and observer of people that he was, would enter into conversations with whoever and wherever someone would listen to him. Jews or Greeks, synagogues or markets, common everyday people or the elite, it made no difference to him. The fact that Epicureans and Stoics would even allow him into their conversations was, in and of itself, evidence of God at work. They had very different views on religion – the Epicureans believed in the gods, but that they had removed themselves from human lives and existence, and did nothing to impact our lives. The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that everything was of and because of God, that a piece of God was imparted to every life, and that when the person died, that bit of God returned to its source. But even at that, they agreed with the Epicureans, in that God did little, if anything, to make a difference in the lives of the people.

Paul had his work cut out for him, and he entered into the debate with the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul’s faith in Christ was difference from everything that these intellectuals had ever known, and it didn’t make much sense to them. Intellectually, Jesus does bring a whole new approach to our life, as well as to God’s desire to be part of this life. And these “marketplace philosophers” didn’t quite know how to deal with Paul, so they needed to bring some more learned men into the discussions.

Read Acts 17:19-23

The Areopagus was a sort of “high council” of intellectual thought in Athens. I have no doubt that this is the very place that Paul wanted to be – he just needed an invitation to speak to them. This doesn’t mean that they could influence thought throughout the city, but it did mean that if you could debate with them, you could hold discussions with practically anyone in the area.

The city was brimming with statues of idols in every part of the town. If you had ever heard of some god, there was a place in Athens that honored them. Paul had spent quite some time walking around, looking at each statue, learning what they represented, and why people would consider them worthy of their life. And then it happened – he found one that represented everything that the populace didn’t know about God.

Paul had his opening to begin discussions with the learned men of Athens – by acknowledging a statue to the Unknown, they were admitting that they didn’t know everything that was worth knowing. And this is the lesson that we all need to understand – that if we don’t understand the objections that others have toward our Lord Jesus, we have no starting point to convince them otherwise! Far too many of us feel that ungodly thought, perverse understandings, denial of God’s truth, and other aberrant ways should have no place in our conscious, so we don’t make any effort to consider why others feel that way.

But Paul is telling us that if we don’t have a grasp on what others are thinking, how others are reasoning, we will never have a chance to share the truth of Jesus Christ with them. We have to discover their point of uncertainty, and use that as our “in”.

The problem, though, is that we need to be thoroughly versed in what we believe before we begin to bring others into the Light of Christ. If our darkness is in alinement with theirs, they will use our own “point of uncertainty” against us! We need to seek out God’s word for our lives, we need to be part of Bible study, we need to have a true heart for our Triune God, if we want to have any chance of winning others for Christ.

Paul was prepared to debate the world. So listen to what he told them.

Read Acts 17:24-31

He began with creation and the order that God placed within it. He raised the issue of God’s presence, and what constitutes showing honor to Him. He put the issue of an aloof God to rest, that if you want a God who doesn’t care a hoot about you, then look elsewhere, but if you want a divine presence who helps you, and cares about you, and wants a relationship with you, then this is the one who you need to know everything about! And if you truly know him, then the need of manufactured images is no longer needed, for His greatest desire is to live within and for each and every one of us.

He tells of the Messiah – the Anointed One of God. The One who paid for our sinful ways with his own life, and who, by the power that is inherent within him, rose from the grave into new life, to, one day, judge, not in the things we have done in this life, but in the faith and trust we have shown to him.

Read Acts 17:32-34

There had to be something for the learned men of the Areopagus to object to, and it was the resurrection from the dead. Wouldn’t it have been far easier to Paul to win converts if he had just left this one stumbling block out of his witness? Of course it would, and a lot of people intentionally leave out the difficult truths about Jesus, but that becomes a false teaching, doesn’t it! One of the problems in the Church today is that there are far too many preachers and teachers who only tell about the Love of God, and leave out all of the correction, and commandments, and the need for repentance from our sin, and God forbid that we should even mention that there will be a day of reckoning for the life we have lived in the here and now!

If we are going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we have to share his entire word, and not just the parts that everyone likes! Anyone who has every raised a child knows that you can’t just prepare them for the easy parts of life – they have to know how to deal with everything that the world is going to throw at them! And saying “No” from time to time, and correcting their behavior through discipline, is a necessary and vital part of showing them the deepest expression of our love. And that same concept is vital in our walk with our Glorious Savior.

But there were some who didn’t like Paul’s description of this God they were missing, they saw the issue of resurrection from the dead as bogus. There will always be something about Jesus that folks can’t quite accept, but there will also be those who will accept, and who will believe, and who want to hear even more about the God who Paul knew, and who we know, and the One who they had apparently missed out on.


Who is it that is waiting to hear about Jesus from you? We seldom know, and there will be those scoffers in our life, too. But witnessing for Jesus always involves risk – risk that someone won’t like what we have to say, risk that we will have to go to places that we aren’t comfortable in, even risk that we won’t say the right words. But if we hold back, if apprehension keeps us from walking with the Lord, the risk is even greater – that someone will be left out, never knowing that Jesus is the right God for them.

Are any of us willing to let someone, anyone, miss out on eternal life, simply because we aren’t comfortable? Paul wasn’t, and neither should we. Share Jesus, just as he has shared Himself with you.