GRINDIT podcast

Paul has given his defense, his testimony to the angry mob that tried to kill him and to the high council. In Acts 24 and 25 he has a hearing with Felix, the governor and for two years, Felix tries to get Paul to pay him a bribe to let him go but Paul never did. Felix leaves office and Festus takes over. Festus wanted to please the Jews so he had Paul's hearing immediately after taking office and wanted to transfer Paul to Jerusalem. Paul knew he'd never make it to Jerusalem because the people had a plan to ambush him so he appeals to Caesar. Festus can't find any accusations worth writing a letter about to the emperor so he wants King Agrippa to listen to Paul's defense. A great lesson we can learn from listening to Paul give his testimony is how God can take anyone, no matter what they have done, and turn their life around. Paul was a murderer of innocent people yet when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus Jesus gave him a new purpose, a new direction for his life and Paul was obedient. What about you?

Paul was warned by the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem but he was determined to go and he did go. He was there less than a week when he was dragged out of the temple and nearly beaten to death. The only thing that saved his life was the Roman soldiers that showed up because of the uproar. They arrested him and was taking him to the fortress to find out who he was and what he has done to cause such a ruckus. As they are about to go in, Paul requests that he be put down, he was being carried by the soldiers for his safety, and they sat him down on the stairs where Paul gives his defense to the angry mob that wanted him dead. Acts 22 and 23 is Paul giving his defense to the mob and to the council. His defense is basically his testimony of how he was converted to Jesus which you can read all about in Acts 9. We all have a story but are we all telling our story for the glory of God?

Ever heard anyone say, "Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it"? Paul was warned many times by the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem and city after city the Holy Spirit warned him what was to come if he continued to go there. The Holy Spirit used people to persuade Paul not to go but he was fixed on his plan to go to Jerusalem and he said he was ready to die for Jesus if that is what was going to happen. Well, he was in Jerusalem for less than a week when someone spotted him, stirred up a mob, and they would have beaten him to death if the Roman army hadn't showed up! Why didn't Paul listen? He could have been used in even more greater ways for the kingdom of God! We are selfish people and many of us are set in our ways. We think we know what is best for us and we won't let anyone change our minds...not even God. Be careful what you wish for...

Why did Paul say he was "bound by the Spirit" to go to Jerusalem? If you have the answers please email me at [email protected]! As for now, I will give my opinions because he was told several times by people speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit to not go to Jerusalem! Why would he not listen? Why did he continue his journey? Just think of all the great things he could have done to help the newly established churches. What about all of those opportunities to start even more churches in new territories? What was so appealing to Paul that he had to go to Jerusalem? He knew his life would be in danger when he got there because he had been warned over and over again by the Holy spirit but he said he was ready to die for Jesus! The man definitely had a passion for serving Jesus but did he make a mistake by going to Jerusalem? I share my thoughts about in this episode....

When Paul was visiting with the believers in Troas, the first day of the week arrived and they took the Lord’s Supper together. One can read Exodus 12 to learn about the Passover, which is where the Lord’s Supper, or communion, came from. A lamb without any imperfections had to be sacrificed and its blood had to be put over the doorposts of the people’s home. When the death angel came along and saw the blood of the sacrificed lamb, he would “Pass Over” that house and whoever was inside the house was saved from death. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says Jesus is our Passover Lamb. It is by the sacrifice he made on the cross, the blood he shed, and the empty tomb that our sins are forgiven and when death comes, we will spend eternity with God…if and only if we are washed in the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus. We take communion to remind us of that sacrifice Jesus gave on our behalf so why do so many churches today not take the time to partake of communion?

Paul has started his third missionary journey and will be leaving Philippi for Troas where he hangs out with some local believers to encourage them as he knows his time is short and they wouldn’t see him again. Luke tells us the names of seven men that was traveling with Paul at the time but soon they would be nowhere around. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul says everyone has deserted him and that only Luke is with him. As the old saying goes, “When hard times come around you find out who your real friends are.” Paul, as many people as he has helped and brought to Jesus, is alone as he faces death. His “friends” have deserted him when he needed them most. The same thing happened to Jesus when he was about to be crucified. His disciples all fled the scene; They didn’t want no part of that! Lesson: Be careful who you put your trust in. People will fail you but God never will.

Paul is going to hang out in Ephesus for at least two years preaching the gospel and giving the people hope. Luke writes that God gave Paul the ability to perform unusual miracles, so unusual that when a handkerchief that he owned touched a sick person, they were completely healed...immediately! As he continues to convert people to Jesus, the worship of false gods along with their idols begins to decline. With the decline of idols means a decline in the bank accounts of the silversmiths that make the idols. They stir up a mob and a lot of chaos against Paul as well as the local believers. They gather in the amphitheater, they have no idea why they are there, and they are yelling random things. It's what the enemy does; He causes chaos and confusion to distract and discourage. God is opposite. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33); He is a God of peace. What is your life filled with? Confusion or peace?

Apollos was telling people about Jesus with enthusiasm but when he would baptize people that wanted to follow Jesus, he would baptize them with the baptism of John the baptizer, a baptism of repentance. Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos give an invitation call one Sabbath Day in the synagogue and pulled him off to the side and taught him correctly, that he should be baptizing people in the name of Jesus because that was what Jesus taught and He fills people with the Holy Spirit which was lacking under John's baptism. So Apollos goes off to preach in Achaia and Paul arrives back in Ephesus where he finds a group of believers that were probably converted by Apollos because they had been baptized under John's baptism and had never heard of the Holy Spirit. So Paul explains to them about Jesus and that they needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit...which they gladly did immediately. If baptism isn't important, then why bother? Why didn't Paul just say, "Well you all believed in Jesus so you're good"? Forget how you have been taught and study the word of God on your own. You will see that being baptized (fully immersed in water) is more important than you've been lead to believe!

Apollos was a Jew that had been converted from Judaism to Jesus. He was smart, enthusiastic, loved to tell people about Jesus, but he was missing something. Aquila and Priscilla heard him speaking boldly at the synagogue one Sabbath day and pulled him off to the side and asked him about his baptism. He was only familiar with the baptism of John the Baptizer so when he would tell someone about Jesus, he would baptize them under the authority of John’s baptism and not in the name of Jesus. It was a baptism of repentance but it lacked one major thing…the HOLY SPIRIT! So Aquila and Priscilla teach him the word of God more accurately and he heads to Achaia (Corinth) to preach there. That’s where they had just spent a few years living in Corinth so they wrote a letter to the believers asking them to welcome Apollos. Don’t let fear hold you back from serving God. You will make mistakes and that’s ok, but the biggest mistake is doing nothing for the kingdom. We need you in the game! We need you in the fight! Just don’t sit on the sidelines and be a spectator!

Why did Jesus talk to Paul after not speaking audibly to him in roughly 18 years? Was Paul discouraged? Was he ready to give up? Throw in the towel? Maybe he wasn’t ready to quit but perhaps he was thinking: “Why am I doing this?“ or “I gave up a better life for this?” or “Is this really worth it?” He just had a confrontation with some Jews at the synagogue where he had been trying to tell them Jesus is the Messiah but they rejected his message and insulted him so he got frustrated, shook the dust from his feet, and told them he was going to the Gentiles. So perhaps, in his frustration and disappointment he was discouraged and needed a pep talk. As always, perfect timing for Jesus to show up and encourage Paul. We all get tired, discouraged, and need a pep talk every now and then, so call a friend, send a message encouraging them and let them know you are thinking of them. It will be like a breath of fresh air and wind in their sails to keep grinding!