Day Nine

Day Nine. January 18. Galatians 1:11-24 This is such a profoundly unique tale. Paul, like the disciples who followed Jesus on earth, was also taught by Jesus Himself. He had unique credentials like no one else on the planet, actually. Paul was pursued by Jesus in an amazing way. It was Jesus who stopped him on that road to Damascus and spoke to him there. Paul was not converted by anyone’s testimony. No, he actually met the Lord in a blinding light that day. And then, Paul did not immediately go to chat with the other disciples. I find this fascinating. Paul went out in the wilderness of Arabia and met with God there. It's stunning to me, how many “wilderness times” are mentioned in […] Read more »

When Resolutions Fizzle

“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” —Matthew 9:17 NKJV Starting a new diet, stopping a bad habit, going for that dream job, reaching that goal … just a few of the things people resolve to do on January 1st. New Year’s resolutions—out with the old and in with the new. Most of the time we get off to a great start, but rarely do we follow through to the finish line. By February 1st, most of us have fizzled out. Why is that? We’re tired or bored. We grow impatient when we don’t see immediate results and discouraged […] Read more »

Day Eight

Day Eight. January 17. Galatians 1:1-10 Our reading of the letter Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia has finally begun. Remember, Paul is talking to people he spent a great deal of time with over the course of his missionary trip there and then back again. He appointed elders and leaders in these various churches. They watched him get run out of town and stoned and yet still come back to them again. Paul invested in them deeply and so his concern for them was deep. People had come to visit these churches who were not truly following Christ. They were a harmful sect, that created rules and regulations to be strictly followed, instead of worshippers of Jesus, longing for close relationship with the […] Read more »

Day Seven

Day Seven. January 16. Acts 15:30-41; 16:1-10 Our last reading in Acts has three main parts to it. Our first part is such a happy one. The decision made at the Jerusalem Council was brought back to Antioch and shared with the believers there. They loved it! They no longer felt burdened by having to obey all the nuances of Jewish law. Silas and Judas, our representatives from the apostles in Jerusalem, hung out with the believers for an unspecified length of time and brought encouragement and strengthening. All was well for a season. We need seasons of quiet growing, don’t we? Whenever I am enjoying a “good time” without too many crises, I try to remember to be grateful, and to not waste that […] Read more »

Day Six

Day Six. January 15. Acts 15:1-29 Today we enter into new territory. Scholars believe that the letter to the Galatians was written sometime during Paul’s relatively peaceful time in Antioch described in Acts 14:28. As we will see when we start Galatians next week, a group of legalistic rule-following folk visited the churches Paul and Barnabas had so recently established at a high cost to their physical safety and added a whole lot of new rules to the churches. This struggle to understand what rules and laws God still wanted His people to keep, and what rules and laws were overruled by the coming of Jesus and forgiveness of sins and the indwelling Holy Spirit … was real and deep and hard. We are going […] Read more »

Day Five

Day Five. January 14. Acts 14:21-28 In this reading, we get to see the completion of this first missionary trip to Galatia as Paul and Barnabas reverse course and actually dare to go back to the cities where they were stoned and attacked in order to strengthen and encourage the believers there. I can’t even. I am such a timid person by nature, and PTSD would be right there for me if I was told I had to go back where angry mobs had recently tried to kill me. It would require supernatural strength from the God who is quite able to give it, to help me do that hard thing! How about you? How comfortable would you have felt re-visiting these towns? And yet, […] Read more »

Day Four

Day Four. January 13. Acts 14:1-20 Wow. I don’t know about you, but this missionary business isn’t sounding fun anymore. Paul and Barnabas basically had a repeat in the town of Iconium only this time they had rocks thrown at them as they left. Initially, they were greeted with great enthusiasm. They stayed there, according to verse 3, “a long time.” I love that they boldly preached about God’s grace – undeserved favor. Their message, over and over, was that we can’t earn our way to Heaven. God made the way and our job was simply to look to Him and receive the gift that grace gave. It’s a humbling method. We basically have to agree with God that we don’t deserve what He gave […] Read more »

Day Three

Day Three. January 12. Acts 13:32-52 So. Paul and Barnabas met huge success and huge opposition at their first stop in Galatia. Paul’s first sermon at the synagogue was so well-received that they were invited back the following week. In fact, Acts 13:42 says that “people begged them to speak about these things again next week.” And the word spread. Practically the entire city of Antioch of Pisidia turned out to listen and many were converted. Verse 49 tells us that from that initial sharing of the gospel, “the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.” Hooray! But with great triumph in evangelism also often comes great opposition. The enemy does not sit quietly back. No, a number of people were stirred up to oppose Paul […] Read more »