Isaiah 53:2-6, The Message

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.

It's not Good Friday yet, but tonight I was aware of my complaining and my "pity party" more than ever as I read these verses about Christ's suffering. I've given two of my vices up for Lent. Two meager sacrifices that I've given up in order to make more of an effort to understand and appreciate what Jesus went through for me. It's been just over a month and I'm already moving towards the "diet" explanation rather than sharing why I'm fasting. I'm already caught up with my trivial day-to-day unimportantances (I just made up that word) instead of trying to keep an eternal perspective. And now, I read these verses above, and I'm ashamed. This is what Good Friday is about, this is what every day should be about -- realizing how unworthy we are and just how worthy God thinks we are.

Acts 26:9, NIV

"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth."

Tonight my pastor spoke about counterfeits and how it's hard to recognize a counterfeit when you aren't familiar with the real thing. I think Paul's above statement is verification of this truth. He was convinced and obsessed with something that ended up being counterfeit, and it was what Paul believed at that time because he hadn't yet been faced with the truth, with the real deal.

So seek the truth and you will find it, be wise and weigh the scales to ensure what is real and what is fake, be shrewd and a good steward of your mind and heart. Be aware of the cunning tricks of the enemy and his attempts to confuse and disillusion us.

Acts 24:27, New Living Translation

After two years went by in this way, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.

What a lousy thing to do. I honestly don't know how Paul went as a prisoner for two years. I realize he had some freedoms, he could have guests, etc, but he was still basically being held because of the fear of a leader. I cannot imagine the frustration of knowing that you were basically being screwed with and that your life was a game for someone to play. Thankfully, Paul used that time to speak truth to anyone willing to listen and to disciple and encourage all his friends in other places.

Acts 23:6-10, The Message

Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: "Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It's because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I've been hauled into this court."

The moment he said this, the council split right down the middle, Pharisees and Sadducees going at each other in heated argument. Sadducees have nothing to do with a resurrection or angels or even a spirit. If they can't see it, they don't believe it. Pharisees believe it all. And so a huge and noisy quarrel broke out. Then some of the religion scholars on the Pharisee side shouted down the others: "We don't find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit has spoken to him? Or maybe an angel? What if it turns out we're fighting against God?"

That was fuel on the fire. The quarrel flamed up and became so violent the captain was afraid they would tear Paul apart, limb from limb. He ordered the soldiers to get him out of there and escort him back to the safety of the barracks.

I keep thinking as I read this, "what if we look this way to unbelievers?" And I can't help but think that sometimes we do. There are more important places to be than in a room full of other believers arguing. We should be loving each other as we serve alongside each other in order to pursue living more and more like Christ.

Acts 22:23-29, The Message

By now the captain was thoroughly exasperated. He decided to interrogate Paul under torture in order to get to the bottom of this, to find out what he had done that provoked this outraged violence. As they spread-eagled him with thongs, getting him ready for the whip, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is this legal: torturing a Roman citizen without a fair trial?" When the centurion heard that, he went directly to the captain. "Do you realize what you've done? This man is a Roman citizen!" The captain came back and took charge. "Is what I hear right? You're a Roman citizen?" Paul said, "I certainly am." The captain was impressed. "I paid a huge sum for my citizenship. How much did it cost you?" "Nothing," said Paul. "It cost me nothing. I was free from the day of my birth." That put a stop to the interrogation. And it put the fear of God into the captain. He had put a Roman citizen in chains and come within a whisker of putting him under torture!

God can rescue us from these situations. He can use human law and He can use His own power. But then again, sometimes the situation doesn't go that way and God uses our suffering to show His power at another time and through our suffering. No matter what - the outcome is that God's plan is worked out.

Acts 21:13-14, The Message

When we heard that, we and everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. But Paul wouldn't budge: "Why all this hysteria? Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me? You're looking at this backward. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can't you see that?"

In The Irresistible Revolution, the author (Shane Claiborne) has much of the same mindset as Paul did in these verses. Putting themselves into potentially dangerous situations might sound foolish to their friends, but men of the Lord like this realize that God's in control and suffering might need to happen in order for people to listen. "Safety" isn't (or shouldn't be) so much a concern when we obey and serve a God like ours! Here are some thought-provoking quotes from Shane's book that I believe follow the examples of prophets, disciples, and Jesus from the Bible:

"And that’s when things get messy. When people begin moving beyond charity and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble. Once we are actually friends with the folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity. One of my friends has a shirt marked with the words of late Catholic bishop Dom Helder Camara: “When I fed the hungry, they called me a saint. When I asked why people are hungry, they called me a communist.” Charity wins awards and applause but joining the poor gets you killed. People do not get crucified for living out of love that disrupts the social order that calls forth a new world. People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them."

"I asked participants who claimed to be "strong followers of Jesus" whether Jesus spent time with the poor. Nearly 80 percent said yes. Later in the survey, I sneaked in another question, I asked this same group of strong followers whether they spent time wit the poor, and less than 2 percent said they did. I learned a powerful lesson: We can admire and worship jesus without doing what he did. We can applaud what he preached and stood for without caring about the same things. We can adore his cross without taking up ours. i had come to see that the great tragedy of the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor."

"And I think that's what our world is desperately in need of - lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about."

Acts 20:29-32, The Message

"I know that as soon as I'm gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus. So stay awake and keep up your guard. Remember those three years I kept at it with you, never letting up, pouring my heart out with you, one after another. Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends."

A friend that I visited with yesterday is going through some of these same emotions. She is moving on from one chapter of her life to the next and the "letting go" of her old life is difficult. The matter of trusting God to continue His work with the people currently in her life is not as easy as she thought. I've felt the same way everytime I left a mission trip or an intimate weekend at a retreat. Reading the vereses above, it's clear this isn't a foreign idea. As humans, we grow attached to each other and the relationships we have. The idea of just getting up and leaving doesn't occur to many people, they wouldn't dream of leaving everyone alone or in the dark. However, God can do His work with our without us and when it's time for us to move on, He'll start making it clear. Trust Him to complete His work in His way and timing.

Proverbs 22:7, The Message

The poor are always ruled over by the rich, so don't borrow and put yourself under their power.

This verses came up in the "dumping debt" lesson of financial peace university. I can't help but appreciate the wisdom of this proverb. Even though I've only just started working very hard to dump my debt (which some could say is not even significant), I'm already discovering the peace of knowing that the Lord is providing my needs for me with a job that allows me to pay bills, save, etc. I'm able to give, although not as much as I'd like, and learn to live within my means. Anyway, one thing I love about this proverb is that it was written in a time before bank accounts, credit cards, and loans.

Acts 20:13-16, The Message

In the meantime, the rest of us had gone on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we planned to pick up Paul. Paul wanted to walk there, and so had made these arrangements earlier. Things went according to plan: We met him in Assos, took him on board, and sailed to Mitylene. The next day we put in opposite Chios, Samos a day later, and then Miletus. Paul had decided to bypass Ephesus so that he wouldn't be held up in Asia province. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Pentecost, if at all possible.

I'm glad that someone took the time to keep a journal and log of these stories. With all the journals that I've kept over the years, some handwritten, some merely e-mail conversations, I hope that one day my story can be documented in as much detail in order for my children and grandchildren and possibly other generations to see where they came from. It's important and as Christians it's important for us to read this history of our faith.

Acts 20:1-2, The Message

With things back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his good-byes, he left for Macedonia. Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.

This is similar to many other verses in Acts, some of which I've already written about, but today the truth of brotherly love and encouragement rang loud for me. I had an upsetting conversation with two people. Without going into detail, I basically let the situation make me feel bad for the way I choose to live. These two people believe and live differently than me, and I became sad for them and burdened by the weight of sin in our world. Sometimes it is difficult to live the way I do, yet I'll always agree that it's worth it. Moving on...

Because I was upset it helped immensely to talk to several of my close Christian friends about it. They were so encouraging, truly "lifting my spirits." I love my sisters in the Lord and their love for me. We need community and accountability.

That said, it's also important to not give in to the temptation to sin or to shelter ourselves completely from people who are different from us. Even though I want to avoid uncomfortable conversations like I had today, those conversations are the moments when I can love someone and share the truth in love. I want to be a little bit of Jesus in those moments.

Acts 19:28-32, New Living Translation

At this their anger boiled, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was filled with confusion. Everyone rushed to the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia. Paul wanted to go in, too, but the believers wouldn’t let him. Some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, also sent a message to him, begging him not to risk his life by entering the amphitheater. Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there.

hard I've seen this seen too much in my time. Secular or Christian environments, someone ultimately feels threatened and thus begins rumors and riots in order to protect what is theirs. In this instance, buisnessmen were afraid of losing money by selling false idols so they shamelessly stirred up a riot and confused everyone nearby. Take heed, our minds need to be sharp in order to avoid these snares and traps. They're still at work and in play every day. Be wise.

Acts 18:26-28, NIV

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

I'm reading a really good book (in addition to the Good Book) titled "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. It's wonderful how well it coincides with what I'm learning from Acts. Shane has a great story of how he has seen God work through him, and other "ordinary radicals" in his community, simply because they are seeking to follow Jesus' example to love and live simply on earth. It's humbling, passionate, inspiring, and convicting.

Anyway, similar to the verses above - the words in this book are aching to help Christ followers understand that as Jesus' Body, we need to care about social justice. We need to care about politics and government and what decisions are being made for our future. We need to be hospitable, always, to believers and nonbelievers alike. My heart jumped as I read the words in Shane's book, as well as this account from Acts. My heart leaped because it has the same desire, the same beat. I want to be educated on social justice. I want to care for the environment, honoring Christ by doing as much with my hands as I can instead of paying someone to do it. I want to always have an open door and empty chair policy.

Honestly, sometimes the church can stifle those desires. I've felt it firsthand and seen it from a distance. It can feel "threatening" to welcome controversy or attempt to love everyone in sight, even when they are obviously different and not in a similar "mold." But it's the Church that must take action. Why is it that celebrities are known for their promotion of nonprofit organizations and fair-trade products while Christians are known for... hypocrisy? greed? being close-minded or sheltered?

I'm convinced that God gave me my mind in order to use it for His glory and, even if I'm tired after a long day at work, or my brain feels overloaded, it's my Christian duty to be responsible and educated on the things that God cares about, the things that Jesus cared about when He was on earth. Feeding the hungry. Healing the sick. Providing for the poor. Speaking truth. Fighting injustice. Going to all the world.

Acts 18:23, New Living Translation

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.

I'm glad that my church, and the churches I've been a part of in the past, have followed this example. By that, I mean they have put leaders in place specifically to strengthen and encourage the body and specifically those in leadership. As someone in leadership, I know how imperative it is. God is enough, but He is also wise enough to know we need human contact and affirmation too.

Exodus 3:3, The Message

Moses said, "What's going on here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up?"

We used this passage tonight at small group for our discussion. We talked about how Moses reacted to God's call for him to return to Egypt. Similarly, we talked about how we react to the "burning bush" moments in our life and how God could really accomplish His goals without us, yet He chooses us to participate if we're willing. I love small group discussions, I'm always encouraged and challenged.

Acts 18:8-11, The Message

In the course of listening to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized. One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city." That was all he needed to stick it out. He stayed another year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God to the Corinthians.

Some translations say that God spoke to Paul in a vision. Dreams and visions. I know people who have had visions in their mind as they go about everyday activities. And others have woken up from their sleep and known with clarity that God had shown them something in their sleep. While I don't know for sure that I've had a legitimate "vision" (is it even something that can be contained to a textbook definition?), I know that when I hear and feel and see God most clearly, most "vision-like", it's during intense worship and prayer. And, just like with Paul in the verses above, it's always just what I need from God to either stick out a tough situation or gain motivation to continue in obedience. God knows what we need and He gives it to us at just the right time.

Acts 17:24-31, New Living Translation

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, ²⁵ and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

This passage inspires worship. Not only songs, but in my heart and my spirit. I want to invite God in my life more, I'm getting good at squeezing Him out. He belongs here, all the time, more and more.

For the last hour I've been seeking the songs that put words and emotion to my thoughts - but I can't. Here is one song that can begin to scratch the surface of what my heart is gushing with right now: How He Loves Us!

Acts 16:37, The Message

But Paul wouldn't budge. He told the officers, "They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing! And now they want to get us out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight."

I just love this story. I love the chains breaking off during an earthquake after a prison praise and prayer service. And good job Paul for not budging, he was incredibly bold to take a stand and demand respect in this situation. He wasn't going to be meek in this instance and let the Romans get away with bad behavior.

Acts 16:20-24, NIV

They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

In the beginning of the Church's establishment, there was a lot of persecution. A lot. It has made me wonder, in my life, am I being persecuted enough or at all? Should I be? The reason I ask myself these questions is because the evidence we're given in the book of Acts testifies to the fact that God's Message causes great salvation and great uproar. The Power of Truth caused the messengers to endure countless physical and emotional hardships. This words and message are universal, they're the same today that they were 2,000 years ago.

In that same vein, there are Believers today in countries that disallow freedom of religion who are enduring physical persecution. What has happened to America -- are we spoiled because we are a "christian nation" and the freedom to practice what we believe is something we've taken for granted? Have we become lazy? I believe that, unfortunately, without the urgency or the thrill of a Message threatens our everyday safety-- we forget to share it. We may practice it, but are we preaching it at all? Our lives may look different, but are our words? I feel strongly tonight that we must be telling everyone about God's news, His great news about love and Jesus and life and hope and peace. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful that I live in a free country and my physical safety isn't compromised because of the church I attend. However, I never want this worldly freedom to overpower the spiritual urgency of the Message I am called to share.

On a final note, I believe there is still persecution today, I'm not fooled. Believers everywhere are being persecuted when one of us compromises. When one believer conforms or complies or fails to act when it is right that he or she do so, the Church, as a whole, is persecuted. Unlike what our culture tells us, it's not about you. It's not about me. It's about our Body and our Family. My and your actions affect each other. So I can't let the the world, I can't let sin, deceive me into thinking that I don't need to be spiritually aware of what I'm doing and the long-term effects it could have on the Church.

It's all about Christ.

Acts 16:7, NIV

When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

What did this look or sound like? I wonder how exactly they knew that they were not allowed to enter that area. If it's anything like my life has been, it's not always incredibly noticeable when God's Spirit speaks to or leads me. Most of the time it's only in hindsight that I realize it wasn't a decision I made or an idea I created myself but rather it was made clear or given to me by God's Spirit.

I want to be more in-tune to the Spirit so that it's not only hindsight that reminds me of the relevance and power of the Spirit. To reach this goal, I'm going to do my best to participate in an active conversation with God every day. I will ask God to make His path clear to me within my Spirit so that my steps are never far from where He wants me to go.

Acts 16:4-5, The Message

Weird! I changed it up and included the passage from Acts at the bottom of this post! I was beginning to get a little insecure the other day. I thought, 'what if my blog posts aren't deep enough? What if my faith or insights seem juvenile and predictable?'

But the title "Authentic Narratives" means something to me. Whether its a long or short post, my thoughts are authentic the moment I write them. I don't wait until I have a good day to share, I don't babble on and on if the truth I'm shown that night is very short and sweet. It's real, and it's me. I am trying not to set false expectations on myself for what a tangible expression of my heart should look like on this blog.

And then, wouldn't you know it, the verse I read tonight (actually it's the wee hours of the morning) was regarding "simple guidelines" for living out the Christian Faith. This is how the Church is strengthened. Simple is apparently helpful. I am relived and grateful!

As they traveled from town to town, they presented the simple guidelines the Jerusalem apostles and leaders had come up with. That turned out to be most helpful. Day after day the congregations became stronger in faith and larger in size.

Acts 15:23-31, New Living Translation

This is the letter they took with them:

We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question.“This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings! We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

The messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter. And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.

Nothing is more encouraging than being able to hear that fellow Christians are in "complete agreement" with something, especially if it is specific to you personally. I know that this message, however breif, was uplifting to the confused and abused believers in Antioch. They most likely felt alone and perplexed as to how to live a new life. I'm so glad that Barnabas and the others spoke Truth to the Jews and other Leaders so that the Gentile believers knew they were accepted as part of the family. The unity that results from truth and agreement is something God created, it can be duplicated or imitated by men. To obtain that kind of peace you must fall on your knees to the Lord in prayer and acknowledge that you need Him and you need the Body to accomplish His ministry on earth.

Acts 15:7-11, New Living Translation

At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

I find Peter's words very encouraging tonight. I'm so glad that God didn't use a selective format, like American Idol, for us to receive His grace. Can you imagine if we had to perform our best before the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit? And that one performance would base our ranking in the line of people desiring Freedom? No thank you! I love that Christ's death and resurrection removed the reality tv way of thinking -- no more selection or talent or performance. Authentic. Real. Raw. Unworthy. Thank you God for giving the undeserved your Grace.

Acts 14:21-24, The Message

After proclaiming the Message in Derbe and establishing a strong core of disciples, they retraced their steps to Lystra, then Iconium, and then Antioch, putting muscle and sinew in the lives of the disciples, urging them to stick with what they had begun to believe and not quit, making it clear to them that it wouldn't be easy: "Anyone signing up for the kingdom of God has to go through plenty of hard times."

Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying— their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives.

The heading of these verses is "plenty of hard times" and it's obvious that P&B had their share of hard times. They handled the hard times well. They used their struggles and physical sufferings as a way of motivating and encouraging the Cause they were working to spread. I have no doubt of P&B's essential part in the maintainence of the new Body. They were Care Pastors; coaches; encouragers; counselors; support team... they were the dynamic duo that God used to be examples and encouragement to the other new Christians. I'm sure that no one expected or wanted hard times, but to honestly recognize that God allows it to happen for a reason-- that's far more spiritual maturity than I've yet to master. I hope that my story, whether I live to see it or not, will be a part of the building and uplifting of the Church today; I couldn't ask for a greater calling.

Acts 14:1-2, NIV

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

These verses seem like a repeat of the previous chapter. They obey, they speak God's word, some people are saved, the others try and run them out of town. It doesn't make the Christian life sound too glamorous, does it? And yet it says they "went as usual" and I think it's a reminder that sometimes life takes you in circles, sometimes you're persecuted, but it's all about obedience.

FYI: Technically, it's Tuesday. However, I haven't been to bed yet so this is my post for Monday. That said, I've fallen asleep three times trying to write down my thoughts and it's just not happening. I'll try again tomorrow (today).

Acts 13,44-46, The Message

When the next Sabbath came around, practically the whole city showed up to hear the Word of God. Some of the Jews, seeing the crowds, went wild with jealousy and tore into Paul, contradicting everything he was saying, making an ugly scene.

But Paul and Barnabas didn't back down. Standing their ground they said, "It was required that God's Word be spoken first of all to you, the Jews. But seeing that you want no part of it—you've made it quite clear that you have no taste or inclination for eternal life—the door is open to all the outsiders. And we're on our way through it, following orders, doing what God commanded...

I suppose what stood out to me the most tonight was the fact that Paul and Barnabas stood their ground in the midst of attack and sabatoge in the obedience of following God's command. Jealously is an ugly sin. Some faults and selfish desires are easy to hide. Jealousy, however, "rears it's ugly head" as the saying goes. It's not easy to hide the look of envy or the actions that manifest as a result. In this story it's sad to see some Jews feel so threatened, so jealous, that they argue and try to difuse the rising revival. Let us not be like this in the Church today. Let us embrace God's Spirit as It speaks to us through other believers, different teaching styles, new beats of music or forms of art. Let's run through the open door God offers to us -- the door that leads to the pathway of obedience and eternal life!