Tag: pastor jonathan

Day 39: Acts 23-25 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 23-25 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Paul was invincible until his time was up. He had suffered beatings, death threats and imprisonment and yet lived. He would get the chance to make his case and ultimately share the gospel in Rome.  Paul saw his inconvenience as his opportunity. He preached to high ranking government officials because he was in chains.

I’m learning that often God moves in our inconveniences as well as our routines. Paul was greatly inconvenienced for the sake of the gospel. Perhaps we won’t face the same challenges that He faced, but we will deal with inconvenience. It will be something like having to take the car to the shop or the trial of dealing with  a health issues that you didn’t know that you had. In each scenarios we find ourselves with interrupted plans and a lot of inconvenience, but there is opportunity there as well if you are looking for it. The car puts you in contact with the mechanic. The illness forces you to see the doctors and nurses that you might no otherwise see. The inconvenience of it might actually be the purpose of God.

FATHER, Thank you that the Apostle Paul recognized his inconveniences as opportunities. I pray that we would look out and see our challenges the same way.  I pray that we never look over someone or dismiss them as in the way, but that we see individuals the way that you see them and that we take every opportunity to share your gospel. Thank you for the people you have placed in our path. Thank you for the calling you have placed on my life to lead your people. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 38: Acts 20-22 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 20-22 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Paul’s life had purpose and direction. He was reminded in every city he went to that chains were ahead of him (20:23). He knew that he would suffer even from the moment of his conversion (Acts 9:16) and yet he pressed on. There were even those along the way who tried to persuade him not to go to Jerusalem because of the chains that awaited him there (21:11-14). (Side Note: This reminds me of Psalm 11 that we just studied a few weeks ago on a Wednesday at Little Escambia and Matthew 16:21-23, when Peter thought that he was offering Jesus sound advice, but Jesus told him, “Get behind me Satan.“) Yet Paul pressed on. 

Two things stick out to me here:

One is that Paul knew what he was called to do and he would not be deterred. Even when his friends pleaded with him not to go, he was more concerned with following God’s will than saving his own neck. We should strive to follow God that closely that we understand our purpose in life may culminate in losing our life.

[Theogical Note: The prophecy offered by Agabus  (21:11) must have been restricted to the fact that Paul would be bound if he went to Jerusalem. The pleading of his friends (21:12) seems to be the misinterpretation by way of poor application of the prophecy that was offered. Otherwise they would be counseling him to go against God’s will! This is where New Testament Prophecy is different that O.T. Prophecy.  There is some ambiguity, and just like a bible teacher may miss the meaning of a particular passage, individuals may miss the application of a particular N.T. prophecy. When someone says, “The Lord told me” and offer application rather than simple, specific revelation it may be an error.  It is always important to exercise discernment. Sometimes people lie (I Kings 13:18) and sometimes people mean well, but get it wrong (21:12)]

The second thing is that those we love and respect the most don’t always offer the best advice. Sometimes they are more interested in our safety that God’s purpose being fulfilled in our lives. It is always better to follow the Lord’s will than those who are clouded by there care and concern for us.

For example: It would be easy as parents to want our kids to live close to us as they marry and move out. We would want to be close to our grand kids and help them. We might offer great advice about getting connected with jobs in our area, etc… but what if God call’s our children to minister in a different part of the country? Or what if he calls them to go to the other side of the world to be a missionary? We wouldn’t want to hold them back from God’s will. This is where discernment and prayer are necessary.

FATHER, We trust you. We trust you to lead us and guide us. We ask for your protection and provision for our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing persecution for their faith in you. We ask for grace to follow you no matter what lies ahead on the path before us. We ask for discernment to understand and do your will. Thank you for the grace to lead your people today. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 37: Acts 16-19 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 16-19 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Acts 16:6-7 it seems like the Holy Spirit didn’t want Paul to go to Asia. We can look back now and see that God was guiding Paul and His companions in a different direction. This isn’t because God didn’t want the gospel to go to Asia. Indeed some of the people from these areas had already heard the gospel (go back and read the regions people were from in Acts 2). It was because God was guiding Paul to Macedonia (16:9-10).  It seems like Paul and his companions also picked up Luke in the process (Notice “they” in Acts 16:7 quickly turns to “we” in Acts 16:10).

I am encouraged to see this model of being faithfully lead by the Holy Spirit of God. Paul didn’t pick up his phone and get a very clear and direct answer on the other end. He sought the Lord and the Lord guided him by Closing doors and opening opportunities. He still speaks and does the same for us today!

Sometimes God tells us “no” on certain ministries or directions in order to send us in the right direction. We see this on another level when Paul goes to the Synagogues first to preach the gospel to the Jews (Acts 17:2, 18:4) but when he meets a firm resistance he goes to the gentiles (Acts 18:6).

I just preached on the second commandment a couple of weeks ago and it really hit me today that Paul preached hard against idolatry in Athens (Acts 17:6) and his understanding of people being the image barer of God (Acts 17:29).  I can’t believe I didn’t make that connection sooner.

FATHER, Thank you for leading us and guiding us in the direction that you would have us go. I thank you for your sovereign hand that prevents us from going in directions that are not bad, but are not your direction for us. I thank you that you unite us with fellow believers along the way. I pray that we would all be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance today and follow where He leads. Thank you for your grace and your discernment. Thank you for the honor of encouraging your people to follow you more closely. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 36: Acts 13-15 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 13-15 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Acts 15:20 – To what extent does the gospel shape a culture? Some of the Jews were insisting on circumcising the gentile converts. This forced the question, “is Christianity a sect of Judaism or is it something different?” In other words, do converts to Christianity need to become fully Jewish to be fully converted or do the demands of the gospel stop short of converting to Judaism?

The answer was that the gentiles were to be counted as “sojourners” among the Jews in that they were only asked to fulfill the moral aspect of the law (all of this is found in Leviticus 17-18) and not the ceremonial aspect of the law (circumcision). This is part of the reason it’s okay for believers now to eat bacon, shellfish, etc. because these things were part of the ceremonial or national law and weren’t part of the Moral law.

Christianity is not fulfilled by Judaism, it is the fulfillment of Judaism. Circumcision was the rite of passage into the Jewish faith, but that had been replaced by baptism. The result was that Christianity pressed forward and forged an identity apart from Judaism.

The application is this. When encountering a new culture or embracing new believers from our own culture, what are the demands of the gospel and what are our preferences? If we are not careful we will force our preferences on others rather than just pressing the gospel. Some implications to think through would be how we dress to go to church. The style of music we prefer to sing to. Where there offering belongs in the service. etc. 

FATHER, Thank you that the New Testament church worked through the struggles it faced. We are grateful for the clarity they provided in helping us understand what it looks like to be a fully committed follower of Jesus. We ask for wisdom in navigating the culture and sharing the gospel in our own generation. We look for humbleness to receive your word and apply it. We ask for boldness to proclaim the gospel to others. Thank you for the grace of leading your people. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 35: Acts 10-12 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 10-12 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Peter had a few preconceived biases that he had adopted from the Jewish culture around him. I’m sure some of those things in the background of Peter’s world-view were helpful in understanding and sharing the gospel. (He would have had an incredible understanding the Old Testament, etc.)  Yet, other parts would cause him an undue bias.  The Holy Spirit had to move in a powerful way for Peter to get the message. First in a dream (10:9-16) and then as a sign gift of tongues in the new gentile converts (10:44-48).

It is sad to admit but there have been times where I have been reluctant to talk with people about the Lord because they were different than me. Indeed, there have been moments where I thought in my heart, “I don’t want to be around people like that.” I’ve come to notice that is usually the Lord rebuking my flesh and leading me to humbleness. How arrogant is it to say that or even think something like that. It becomes a lesson in the gospel all over again, “for God so loved the WORLD,” “while WE were STILL SINNERS Christ DIED for US,” etc.

Practically in this passage, we are seeing the gospel cross the lines that were laid out in ACTS 1:8. It is crossing cultural barriers and will ultimately go to the utter most parts of the Earth. Peter’s encounter with these gentile believers will come into play later when there is more discussion on what does a gentile convert do/ not do to follow the LORD? (Ex. Do they get circumcised or has baptism replaced that? Do they need to keep Jewish festivals? etc.)

FATHER, Thank you for the power of the gospel to transform lives. Thank you that the gospel crosses racial and cultural lines. Prepare our hearts to address cultural biases wherever it may be found. Give us a desire to take the gospel to the nations. Give us boldness in our witness for you today. I pray that we will walk in humbleness. Thank you for the grace to lead your people. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 33: Acts 4-6 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Acts 4-6 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

The prayer for boldness was certainly granted (4:29). However, it seems like praying for boldness is much like praying for patience… God just might bring circumstances into your life where you have to be bold. He certainly did this with the Apostles and the others there. I wonder do we pray for boldness today or are our prayers tempered with more requests for security and safety?

Gamaliel offered some wise advice to the council (5:38-39). If it’s of God it will stand, if it’s not it will fall away. I think many churches face a similar kind of conflict today. They argue or dispute over evangelistic initiatives, discipleship processes, etc.  Be careful what you resist. To be sure, we all want to resist the influences of Satan on the church, but we want to be careful not to resist our LORD if he is calling to spread the word in a bold and different direction.  Many great moves of God were begun in opposition to those who thought they had a lock on what God wanted.

Even the first church in Jerusalem had some tension and strife. Annanias and Saphira were jockeying for attention by lying about how much they gave (5:1-11) and widows were feeling neglected (6:1-7).  Sadly the experience is much the same in many churches today. There will always be those who seek to meet a personal need through undue recognition as well as those who haven’t learned to be content in whatever circumstances they find themselves.  There are legitimate needs and concerns that arise in any church and I am thankful for deacons that God has called to serve the church along side of the pastor and free him up for the ministry of the Word.

FATHER, I pray for boldness in sharing our faith today. May you give us great courage in our conversations with others to make sure we discuss matters of eternal significance.  We ask for wisdom and discernment to know what things come from you and what things are “man-made.” We thank you for those you have called to be deacons. We are grateful for their ministry both to the church and to the pastor. Thank you for the grace to lead your people as an under-shepherd. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 31: Luke 22-24 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Luke 22-24 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Peter knew better than Jesus… or at least he thought he did (22:31-34). Jesus told Peter what would happen, but Peter didn’t believe it. He thought he knew better than Jesus, but Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself and He knew that Peter would return.

What gives me hope, is that Jesus had already prayed for Peter (22:32).  He spoke plainly to Peter that even though he would deny Jesus three times (22:34), that Peter would indeed return to Jesus and be in a place to strengthen his brothers.

We will see in the days a head as we read through the book of Acts, that there were roughly 50 days between the Crucifixion and the day of Pentecost. Which means that there were roughly 50 days between Peter’s denial of Jesus and preaching the greatest sermon of his life.

Sometimes we feel like when someone has sinned in a grievous way that they should suffer for it for a long time before they are restored. While it is wise to seek and evaluate to see if genuine repentance has taken place, we see Jesus restoring Peter in a matter of days and empowering him to preach the gospel in less than two months. There is a scandal there if I ever saw one. Don’t be fooled though, the scandal isn’t with how quickly Jesus restored Peter, it’s how powerful the cross is! The biggest thing that took place between Peter’s three-time denial of Jesus and Peter’s restoration was the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus!

I think sometimes we can be guilty of preaching the power of the gospel without believing it! God’s grace is really that big! His love is really that wide! And His forgiveness is really that powerful.

FATHER, thank you for loving for me. Thank you for your grace! I stand in awe of the power of the gospel to transform lives. I thank you for Peter’s testimony and it’s implications. I pray that I would be quick to forgive people in my life. I pray for my friends today who feel like they have to suffer before they can enjoy restoration. I pray that they would find freedom in you today. I pray for those who are nursing grudges. I pray that they would find the grace and ability to forgive as you forgive. I pray for those who have fallen to be restored. Thank you for the grace of leading your people. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 30: Luke 19-21 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Luke 19-21 follow the link provided hereto read the ESV online.

How do you handle your wealth? Today’s reading begins with a rich man who hears the words of Jesus and repents to the point of restoring all those whom he has defrauded and giving half of his wealth to the poor (19:1-10). Zacchaeus had been a taker, but after Jesus transformed his heart, he became a giver. He didn’t need money for security he had something greater. Is Jesus more precious to us than our money and stuff?

The account of Zacchaeus’ change is followed up with a story about the Minas (19:11-27). Ten servants were charged to be faithful with what the master had given them. At least two went out and earned more for their master and at least one we know did not do anything with his. The ones who earned a profit were blessed with even more, the one who didn’t do anything was stripped of what he even did have. We are reminded to do what you can, with what you have, while you have it for the kingdom of God.

There is also the story of the poor widow who didn’t have much to give, just two little pennies (21:1-4). Jesus said that she gave more than the rest, not because of the extravagance of her gift, but because of her complete poverty.

FATHER, thank you that you teach us about money and possessions in the Scripture. I pray that we are faithful with everything you have given us. I pray that we are generous towards others and faithful in the small things. Thank you for all you have entrusted to us and thank you for the grace of talking about money in your word. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

 

Day 29: Luke 16-18 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Luke 16-18 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

The older I get the more I realize that most critics of the Bible have never actually read the scriptures. Do you see the portrait of Jesus here? Taking on Pharisees. Healing the sick. Welcoming the Children. Speaking words of warning and comfort.  Counseling a rich man to go all in for God. Speaking up for the helpless. That was just three chapters in the middle of Luke.

The gospel of Luke is so counter cultural it’s not funny. Have you noticed all the stories about rich men? The rich young ruler, the rich man and Lazarus, and from yesterday, the poor brother who wasted his inheritance (yes he wasted it just like a drunk on booze) and the other brother who never left home. There is a two fold theme opening up here… God accepts those who have nothing to offer and those who have lots of money often have the hardest time seeing there way to God because of it (16:14). Either way, you can’t love money more than God (16:13).

The big take away for me today was the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14). There is really only one way to approach God and that is to be humble. Often, it is easier to see the sins of others and miss my own sin. To be humble is a gift of God’s grace. To know your sin before a holy and a righteous God, while uncomfortable, it ultimately the most profitable thing that can happen in your life.

FATHER, I pray that you would guard my heart from loving anything more than you. I pray that our hearts would always be humble. I ask that our consciences would be sensitive to you and that you would guard our hearts from idols. Thank you for the grace of leading your people. Convict us of sin and bring healing to our souls. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet

Day 28: Luke 13-15 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Today’s reading comes from Luke 13-15 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

Imagine being the younger son in Luke 15, rehearsing your speech and making the final turn to approach the house. You’re not sure if you will be accepted. Then you see him. Running to meet you. It’s your dad! You’re running through the speech one more time in your head. You are practiced, you are ready, but as the words leave your mouth you hear him say, “kill the fatted calf, we are going to have a feast tonight. My son who was dead is now alive. He is home.”

You’re accepted. You are welcomed. You enter the party with full confidence that you have your father’s unmerited favor. ..

Then imaging the older brother in Luke 15. (Remember, this story is about two brothers.) You’ve been loyal, you work the farm, you do what you are told and never once has your old man thrown a party for you. When you come home you are furious to find that your brother is home and the old man has thrown him a party. You feel slighted somehow. You feel edged out. Somehow the fact that your father would accept your stupid younger brother makes you angry. You don’t enter the party. The father has to come out to invite you in… in the end we are left wondering if you will ever go in?

This is the scandal of Amazing Grace that God would love sinners who repent and find their way home. Sometimes we think that people need to suffer a little because of where they have been and the choices they have made. But that’s not the way God welcomes sinners. The road to repentance is an open road that he looks down, waiting and expecting.

FATHER, thank you for the scandal of Amazing Grace. Thank you that you welcome repentant sinners. I rejoice with those who have trusted in you as Lord and Savior. I lift up those who have wandered far from home and are living in the far country. I pray for the salvation of friends and family. I pray for repentance that leads to rejoicing. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

new-in-90-sheet