May 24:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS IDENTIFICATION.
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"--Acts 9:4


The persecution of Christians is growing around the globe.  I was startled when I read recent reports that highlight that this problem is worse now than at any time in the past.  The Open Door organization, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, labels many countries as having "high, very high, or extreme persecution" and keeps adding them to the World Watch List. *  This is not just an ancient problem, and we can get involved by praying for oppressed Christians.

The first verse of Acts 9 is astonishing: "Now Saul, still breathing threats, and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest."  Saul, who had been introduced to the reader back at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58), went to Caiphas to ask for letters of extradition to bring all the followers of Jesus "bound" to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2).  This time he was after those who had taken refuge in the city of Damascus, in the province of Syria.  This city, located about one hundred fifty miles from Jerusalem, was outside of the Holy Land, and had a large Jewish population.  Saul (Hebrew for Paul), had consented to the death of the first Christian martyr (Acts 8:1) and was now persecuting all those belonging to the Way, an identification mentioned many times in Acts (chapters 18, 19, 22, 24).  "As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:3, 4).  Notice that the resurrected Christ speaks to Saul, identifying with the persecuted group.  He didn't say: "Why are you persecuting them?"  When Saul asked "Who are You, Lord?" once again Jesus responded, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting" (verse 5).  Jesus embodied the persecution of His followers as being done unto Him personally.  Jesus continues to identify personally with His oppressed followers; whatever is done to them is being done unto Him.  Join me in praying for those who are suffering for their faith in Christ.  And if you are going through hardships for His sake, may you know that Jesus identifies personally with you.

My Response:_____________________________________________________________
* Open Doors USA, "World Watch List," http://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/.

May 23:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS EXCEPTION.
"Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"--Acts 10:47


I had the privilege of visiting ancient Caesarea.  Built by Herod the Great and named in honor of Caesar Augustus, it is an impressive town on the coast.  Several structures, such as the ancient Roman amphitheater and the aqueduct, witness to its flourishing society during New Testament times.  It is in this town that a centurion by the name of Cornelius saw the vision of an angel instructing him to send someone to Joppa (a town thirty-eight miles south of Caesarea) to fetch Peter, so that he could explain the gospel to him (see Acts 10:1-8).

Immediately Cornelius sent for Peter, who was staying at Simon the Tanner's house in Joppa.  As we discussed yesterday, God had to convince Peter, through visions and the voice of the Spirit, to go with these men (verses 9-20).  In Caesarea, Cornelius had gathered his relatives and close friends, and Peter preached the gospel to them.  Then God did something out of the usual sequence, astonishing Peter and all his companions.  "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.  All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.  For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God" (verses 44-46).  Then Peter ordered that they be baptized.  Wow!  You see, with visions and all, Peter wasn't ready to baptize Gentiles into the community, so God got ahead of him.  In acts, the order is always as follows: the gospel of Jesus is preached, people are baptized, and the Holy Spirit falls on them, except this time.  God chose the Gentiles and had to get out of sequence because His own people were not ready to recognize His choice.  The Spirit fell on them first, and then they were baptized.  God loves all and often chooses people who are outside the box.  If you were left out of the "in" group or were told that you need to change in order for God to love you, may this story convince you that God's love is not subject to human barriers.

My Response:___________________________________________________________

May 22:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS BENEVOLENCE.
Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality."--Acts 10:34

As I travel around the world, I am always amazed at how history repeats itself.  There are sad chapters in history, when a social, racial, religious, or political group is oppressed by another group which happens to be in power at the time.  Unfortunately, when times change, and the tables are turned, frequently the oppressed became the oppressor.  This phenomenon is rooted in the core of the human heart, which seeks to exclude others, who are not part of their own group.

In the New Testament, members of the newly-formed Christian community had a hard time understanding that God's benevolence and goodwill was directed towards all individuals, not only those of Jewish background.  It was so hard for them to understand God's favor upon the others.  The religious people were much harder to convince of the inclusivity of God's love and salvation than the Gentiles were.  A case in point is the story of Cornelius and Peter, narrated in Acts 10.  Cornelius was a centurion, who had become a God-fearer, which means that he worshipped the God of Israel, but had not converted to Judaism and was not ritually circumcised.  On the other hand, Peter had been with Jesus during His public ministry.  He was a disciple, one of the twelve, and a member of His inner circle of three disciples who witnessed additional divine manifestations.  Having been reinstated to ministry after denying his Master, he experienced Jesus' grace and love firsthand.  Yet it took a lot to convince Peter that he should step into Cornelius's house.  It was much easier for God to convince Cornelius to send messengers to fetch Peter than it was to convince Peter to go with the messengers to Cornelius.  Peter saw a vision three times (verses 10-16), which he then interpreted as: "God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.  That is why I came" (verses 28, 29).  God's love challenges our biases.  He does not show partiality to color, accent, ancestry, or social status.  You are His beloved child.  Whatever your background or circumstances, He loves you and His victory is for all!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

May 21:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS YEARNING.
He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly."  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.--Revelation 22:20

I closely followed the kidnapping of Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart and her ordeal in captivity from June 5, 2002 to March 12, 2003.  Since then I have read her book about the nightmare.  I was deeply touched by the way Salt Lake City celebrated her homecoming when she was found.  The whole town was dressed in ribbons and balloons in Elizabeth's favorite colors: blue and yellow.  Businesses stopped advertising their services and products, and placed "Elizabeth, Welcome Home" signs instead.  It was a celebration that showcased the longing that characterized the nine-month search for Elizabeth.  And she was now home!

We are all longing for our heavenly home!  And yet sometimes we forget the yearning of our heavenly Father to come back for us.  At the end of the book of Revelation, we get the final multi-descriptive portrait of Christ, which repeats some of the descriptions of Jesus that we found at the beginning of the book: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 22:13).  Jesus was there at the beginning, and He will be there at the end of our earthly story.  Jesus is, was, and will be with us!  The last words of the risen Christ are recorded in Revelation 22:20: "Yes, I am coming quickly."  Do you hear the eagerness, the yearning of a Parent coming back to take His children home?  John's answer is also representative of the longing response of all of us--to be with our Redeemer forever: "Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus!  Come soon!  This is the true history of humankind from the beginning to eternity.  Jesus is triumphant, and the kidnapper has lost.  This is the story of the successful rescue of God's kidnapped children, only possible because a costly ransom was paid for us at the cross.  Can you imagine the heavenly signs: "Dear child, Welcome Home!"?  I can't wait for our voices to join the two-word cry: Jesus wins!  If you are facing pain and trials today, just remember how it ends.  Jesus is yearning to embrace you and take you home!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

May 20:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS BRIDE.
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."  And let the one who hears say, "Come."  And let the one who is thirsty come.--Revelation 22:17

I am sure you've heard marriage vows before; perhaps you've even uttered them yourself at your wedding ceremony.  We promise to be faithful to each other, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and so on.  Then the final sentence " 'Til death do us part."  Wonderfully, with our heavenly Bridegroom, it is the exact opposite!  His death is what reunites us and guarantees our eternal life with Him!

The Bible teaches that there will be a new earth, where God will dwell with His people, His bride, forever: "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men...and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them' " (Revelation 21:2, 3).  This will be an eternity without pain, sickness, or death!  And all of heaven is so excited about us, His bride: "Then one of the seven angels...came and spoke with me saying, 'Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb' " (verse 9).  Yes, there is an eternal future without pain for the people of God.  In this sinful world, we see marriage vows and trust being violated, which leaves us brokenhearted.  But it is not that way with our heavenly Bridegroom!  He is eager to have us home with Him forever. At the end of the book of Revelation, the bride of the Lamb issues a passionate invitation: Come and join us!  We, the bride, are so excited that our Bridegroom is at hand that we don't want anyone missing!  "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.'  And let the one who hears say, 'Come.'  And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost" (Revelation 22:17).  Oh, yes!  It is without cost for us!  But it did cost the Bridegroom His life.  I can't wait for His hug after all these years of suffering and pain.  He is eager to embrace us and to embrace you, and to welcome us to a pain-free eternity.  If you are suffering today, may this assured future encourage you.  The wedding march is about to begin:  Here comes the Groom!

My Response:__________________________________________________________

May 19:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS RECREATION.
On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.--Revelation 22:2


Have you ever received much more than you expected?  I was in the middle of a long international trip when, having finished a speaking engagement, I had to stay a few extra days in a hotel to work on a project before heading  to the next country.  My hosts graciously paid for the additional nights.  Wondering where I would be eating during the few extra days, I went to the reception desk.  That's when I was notified that my hosts had prepaid for all my daily meals at a restaurant.  Wow!  I was pleasantly surprised and so grateful!

We can't even start to grasp what awaits us in eternity!  Even our best imagination fails us when it comes to God's heavenly surprise for His children.  The last book of the Bible ends with a scene of redeemed humanity returned to the tree of life.  We have come full circle, and God has recreated the earth!  The tree that God planted in Paradise is back.  Remember how Jesus promised Paradise to the criminal on the cross (see Luke 23:43)?  Well, here we are, standing by the tree of life.  John utters the seventh and last beatitude in this book: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).  The expression of "washing their robes" has already been explained in Revelation: "They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).  The blessed ones have the right to the tree of life, a symbol of immortality, because they have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, accepting the ransom paid.  "The tree of life in the new Jerusalem symbolizes eternal life free of death and suffering....Once again human beings will share in the gift of eternal life that Adam enjoyed before sin entered the world.  All that was lost through Adam is now regained through Christ." *  Praise the Lord!  Be encouraged!  Jesus has purchased a suffering-free eternal reality for us!

My Response:_____________________________________________________________
* Ranko Stefanvic, Revelation of Jesus Christ, 2nd ed. (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2009), 604

May 18:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS DEPENDABILITY.
"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told."--Acts 27:25


I had just finished preaching from the book of Ruth, on the topic of the Go'el, the kinsman-redeemer, which is my favorite theme, as it relates to Jesus in the whole Bible.  A scholar came up to me at the end and said: "And Jesus is not the type of Go'el who removes His sandal!"  It was a clever observation because, in the book of Ruth, the closest relative that could redeem Naomi and Ruth refused to do so, signifying his decision by removing his sandal according to the custom of the time (see Ruth 4:7, 8).  Then Boaz, the second kinsman-redeemer in line, bought the land and married Ruth.  Jesus, the ultimate Redeemer, never refuses to act on our behalf; he never removes His sandal.  We can always trust His word and depend on His presence, His promises, and the efficacy of His sacrifice for us.

Everything around us constantly changes: including people, circumstances, economy, and relationships.  But there is something you can always depend on: God with us, Immanuel.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He is always there, His word is reliable, and so is His assurance of salvation through the blood of Jesus.  You can depend on it!  In the book of Acts, Paul learned to depend on God's words through thick and thin.  When they were at sea, in the middle of a fierce and devastating storm that would cause a shipwreck, God sent an angel with a message for Paul: "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar...God has granted you all those who are sailing with you" (Acts 27:24).  Paul absolutely believed the message and spoke to the men in the ship: "There will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship" (verse 22).  He had no proof of this other than God's word, and that was enough for him.  "And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land" (verse 44).  God has promised that believers in Jesus will be saved through His sacrifice on the cross.  He has also promised to be with us every day, until the end of this world.  You can depend on Him!  His promises are reliable, His victory is assured, and His sacrifice is more than sufficient!


My Response:_________________________________________________________

May 17:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS CAUSE.
"Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."--Acts 23:11

It's amazing that God is triumphant and His cause advances even in the midst of the most disheartening of circumstances.  For example, consider what happened to Joseph back in Genesis 37.  The sons of Jacob stripped Joseph of his colorful tunic, sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, and he was taken to Egypt to Potiphar's house.  Yet God was triumphant in the midst of this tragedy, and Joseph became a ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.  God used him to save the lives of many people and to preserve the race through which the Messiah would come.  I am amazed that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Paul was in trouble, as he had often been, but this time he was seized in the temple in Jerusalem.  After telling the Jews the story of his conversion and the calling he received from God (Acts 22), he then appeared before the council (Acts 23).  But a great dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees about Paul being a Pharisee, "on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" (Acts 23:6), and the commander ordered Paul to be taken away by force and brought into the barracks, because he was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces (verse 10).  The following night, the Lord Himself stood by Paul's side, as He had done at other pivotal times in his ministry when his circumstances looked disheartening.  The Lord said: "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also" (verse 11).  No doubt this meant so much for Paul and sustained him on his journey to Rome, which took a long time and was filled with perils, trials, and opportunities to witness.  God uses this difficulty in Jerusalem to spread the gospel  further, and His cause was advanced in that way.  We don't always understand how God can turn all things for good and for His glory, yet we can fully trust His ability to do exactly that.  After all, the cross looked as if it were the greatest defeat, and yet it was His greatest triumph!

My Response:__________________________________________________________

May 16:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS PREVAILING.
So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.--Acts 19:20

The controversy between good and evil is real.  Evil spirits are active in bringing fear, pain, and destruction, as well as being obstacles to the spreading of the good news.  And I thank God that I am assured that He is infinitely more powerful than Satan, so that the followers of Jesus can rest in the assurance of His protective power.  I travel very often, and when I get to my hotel room, the first thing I do is to kneel down and ask God to take over that place by the power of the blood of Jesus, and not to allow any evil forces or influences in my room, no matter what has happened there before my stay.  "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).  Jesus always prevails.

When Paul arrived at Ephesus, God was performing mighty miracles of healing and exorcism through him (Acts 19:11, 12).  Seeing this, some tried to exorcise evil spirits by invoking the name of "Jesus whom Paul preaches" (verse 13),  as if it were a magic spell or an incantation formula.  Seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva tried to do this.  "And the evil spirit answered and said to them, 'I recognize Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?' " (verse 15).  The evil spirit overpowered the imposters, and they had to flee that house (verse 16).  We don't face the forces of darkness on our own and we don't take evil for granted.  Yet all evil spirits recognize and are conquered by the power of the name of Jesus, and they know the names of those who belong to Jesus, because His mighty and complete protection covers us.  This event became widely known in Ephesus.  "And the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified" (verse 17).  It resulted in many who practiced magic renouncing their sorcery and publicly burning their incantation scrolls, valued at fifty thousand drachmas (pieces of silver) because of the power they were thought to possess.  It is at this point that Luke (the author of Acts) makes the fifth report of progress in this book: "The word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing" (verse 20).  Yes!  Jesus prevails over evil!  At the cross He overcame evil for good!  Be assured that the name of Jesus protects you!

My Response:_____________________________________________________________

May 15:  Celebrating His Victory.

HIS OBJECTIVE.
"God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power."--Acts 2:24

I recently returned from a ministerial trip that spanned multiple countries and included various speaking engagements.  By God's grace it was a success as everything had worked as planned.  And it involved a lot of logistical planning and coordination with different church entities in various countries: airline tickets, hotels, meals, local transportation, media, equipment, luggage allowance, translators, et cetera.  These things usually do not happen by chance...every detail was carefully planned and carried out.

The sermon Peter preached on the day of Pentecost clearly reveals that God had predesigned a detailed plan for our redemption.  Peter explained that even the infilling of the followers of Jesus by the Holy Spirit had been prophesied in the Old Testament (Acts 2:14-20).  Then he continued to proclaim who Jesus was and how He had fulfilled the prophecies found in the Jewish Scriptures.  The Sermons preached by Peter and others recorded in the book of Acts always point to the fact that the Old Testament prophecies about the upcoming Messiah were fulfilled in the ministry, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  And that even though humans put Him to death, it was in fact God's preordained plan of redemption that was being realized.  "This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.  But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony [literally, birth pains] of death..." (Acts 2:23, 24).  It was God's objective and predetermined plan to reverse the consequences of sin, including pain and death, through Jesus' victory on our behalf.  His plan was successful and did not happen by chance.  It was a detailed, predetermined plan.  Death could not hold Jesus in its grip.  And we can live with the assurance of His absolute victory for us, knowing that death will not be victorious over His followers either.  In addition,we are invited to joyfully surrender to and trust God's predestined plan for our lives.

My Response:___________________________________________________________