Church programs for Monday, Jan. 22 will resume their normal schedule at all locations this evening.
Leawood’s Sunday night in-person worship has been moved to 4 pm for Sunday, February 11.
Acts 18
4 Every Sabbath he interacted with people in the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks. 5 Once Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed and slandered him, he shook the dust from his clothes in protest and said to them, “You are responsible for your own fates! I’m innocent! From now on I’ll go to the Gentiles!” 7 He left the synagogue and went next door to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile God-worshipper. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household came to believe in the Lord. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized after listening to Paul.
9 One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Don’t be afraid. Continue speaking. Don’t be silent.”
Acts 23
10 The dispute became so heated that the commander feared they might tear Paul to pieces. He ordered soldiers to go down and remove him by force from their midst. Then they took him back to the military headquarters.
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Be encouraged! Just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so too you must testify in Rome.”
Acts 27
18 We were so battered by the violent storm that the next day the men began throwing cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they picked up the ship’s gear and hurled it into the sea. 20 When neither the sun nor the moon appeared for many days and the raging storm continued to pound us, all hope of our being saved from this peril faded.
21 For a long time no one had eaten. Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have complied with my instructions not to sail from Crete. Then we would have avoided this damage and loss. 22 Now I urge you to be encouraged. Not one of your lives will be lost, though we will lose the ship. 23 Last night an angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I worship stood beside me. 24 The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar! Indeed, God has also graciously given you everyone sailing with you.’
After preaching in Athens (cf. Acts 17:15-34), Paul went to Corinth, a large seaport known for all the vices of idle sailors throughout history. Yet God called the apostle to keep trusting. In a vision, God “gave him an interesting reason: There are many of my people in this city. In other words, evangelism is only just beginning here…. I am at work here, and you must trust me and stick it out. Presumably Paul needed that encouragement.” * In 18 months, Paul won a large Christian community in Corinth.
Guiding God, tune my mind and my heart to your guiding presence as I seek to serve you faithfully and bravely. Directly or indirectly, guide me to try never to hide your good news. Amen.
Lauren Cook serves as the Entry Points Program Director at Resurrection. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, a bookworm, and is always planning her next trip. She has the sweetest (and sassiest) daughter, Carolina Rae, a rockstar husband, Austin, and a cutie pup named Thunder. She loves connecting with others so let her know the best place you've ever eaten, best book you've ever read, or best place you've ever been!
Sometimes when I think about my life in comparison to the lives of people like Paul, I have to laugh out loud at my concept of “danger” versus his. My most relevant fears tend to be social fears and personal anxieties with maybe a few physical dangers thrown in (mostly around my five-year-old). As we read today, Paul faced opposition and slander, physical disputes, raging storms on tiny boats, and so much more. It feels almost comical to compare ourselves, doesn’t it?
And yet.
Those moments when we find ourselves tiptoeing toward a faith conversation with a non-believer or someone we know disagrees with us, or even when we are simply struggling to live a life like Jesus in a world and culture so opposite, it can feel scary and even dangerous. The cultural barriers we often find ourselves trying to overcome may sometimes make us think that God must not be calling us in that direction or pushing us to do or say that thing, or maybe we even wonder if he is really at work in a situation. However, what we also know from stories such as Paul’s is that God often points us down the harder road. That can be a bit frustrating until we remember that He points us in that direction and then walks the road with us.
Let us rest in that truth today: we never, ever walk alone and with God before and behind us, we can be fearlessly bold as we share the good news. Shine bright, dear friends!
* Wright, N. T., Acts for Everyone, Part Two: Chapters 13-28 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 98). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
** Wright, N. T., Acts for Everyone, Part Two: Chapters 13-28 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 99). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
*** E. H. Trenchard comment on Acts 23:11 in New International Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1979, p. 1307.