The Gospel
It is easy to read the stories of the greatness of the first believers...their courage and patience and determination....their anointed stands for truth... And forget that these Acts stretched out over years and even decades of sanctification. They learned obedience that led to their knowing of Jesus in deeper and deeper ways, but it took place day after day in the routines of life. Often their captivity to less than perfect circumstances brought out the glory of their simple dependence on God.
Our lives are no different if we connect them to the same source of vision and power Paul, and James, and John, and Peter connected their routine lives to. Without vision and power, life is simply routine. Even for the wealthy or powerful...without a connection to real vision, life always reverts to routine. But, with vision the routine is the context that greatness is birthed out of.
Vision requires effort. I need to tune out the distractions and isolate the one conversation that has the power to change water into wine, beggar into King, slave into free. The conversation....the getting to know Jesus...that is the point of the day after day.
Acts 24:24And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
26Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
27But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. Acts 25:1Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him,
Two years of Paul's simple faithfulness no one knows about except Jesus. That is what made Paul who he was.
This is what Paul spent himself on during those years: keeping the vision in front of his eyes. We go where we are looking. Satan wants to get us to look at our chains or our rejection or our "prisons" of waiting and become disillusioned. If we resist that lie, we are ready to come out at the right time and walk deeper into our destiny.
We get to know Jesus in the waiting to make Him known in divine moments of impact. Don't waste the waiting!
Acts 26 NKJV - 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,3 “especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.5 “They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.6 “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.7 “To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.8 “Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.10 “This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.11 “And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,13 “at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.14 “And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’15 “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.16 ‘But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.17 ‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,18 ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,20 “but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.21 “For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.22 “Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—23 “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles
Our lives are no different if we connect them to the same source of vision and power Paul, and James, and John, and Peter connected their routine lives to. Without vision and power, life is simply routine. Even for the wealthy or powerful...without a connection to real vision, life always reverts to routine. But, with vision the routine is the context that greatness is birthed out of.
Vision requires effort. I need to tune out the distractions and isolate the one conversation that has the power to change water into wine, beggar into King, slave into free. The conversation....the getting to know Jesus...that is the point of the day after day.
Acts 24:24And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
26Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.
27But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. Acts 25:1Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.
2Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul; and they petitioned him,
Two years of Paul's simple faithfulness no one knows about except Jesus. That is what made Paul who he was.
This is what Paul spent himself on during those years: keeping the vision in front of his eyes. We go where we are looking. Satan wants to get us to look at our chains or our rejection or our "prisons" of waiting and become disillusioned. If we resist that lie, we are ready to come out at the right time and walk deeper into our destiny.
We get to know Jesus in the waiting to make Him known in divine moments of impact. Don't waste the waiting!
Acts 26 NKJV - 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,3 “especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know.5 “They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.6 “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.7 “To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.8 “Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.10 “This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.11 “And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,13 “at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.14 “And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’15 “So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.16 ‘But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.17 ‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,18 ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,20 “but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.21 “For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.22 “Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—23 “that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles
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