The book of Acts gives three accounts of the conversion of Saul (a.k.a. Paul). While we glean different things from each account, there's one glaringly phrase spoken by Jesus that should make us all sit up and take notice. Three times we read the following exchange between our Lord and the chief enemy of The Church: Jesus: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul: “Who are You, Lord?” Jesus: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (See Acts 9, 22, & 26, respectively.) No matter what you think about The Church, known also as The Bride of Christ, she's definitely Jesus' beloved! When we put the bad mouth on her, Jesus takes it personally! The Scriptures make clear, walking with Christ is not a me and Jesus thing; it's a Jesus and all of us, thing! 1 Corinthians 12:18-21 puts it this way: "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (ESV) What is clear by these verses and so many others is that our Lord's Church--His body, His Temple, His Family, His Bride—is deeply, very deeply, loved by Him! And what is the ultimate proof of His love? He went to the cross and gave Himself up for Her! When it comes to The Church, The Bride of Christ, we most certainly must tread lightly, mindfully, humbly, and above all, lovingly...

When the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus' followers on the Jewish festival of Pentecost, it was clear things would never be the same. Transcending history, cultures, and national identities, Jerusalem was ground zero as the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit was coming down and going forth to make dead hearts come alive in Christ. When the mighty acts of God were being proclaimed in the numerous languages of those gathered, the miraculous event became vividly apparent. Then as a hush fell upon the throng of people, Peter stood and proclaimed the Good News about Jesus. Thousands were "cut to the quick" and asked aloud what they must do to be saved. In Acts 2:38-39 Luke records Peter's answer: "And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” (ESV) What was true on that momentous day is true for every hungry soul starving for true life. Only One could curb such hunger: The Bread of Life, God the Son, Christ Jesus our Lord! With a bloody cross and empty tomb left behind, the first Jesus movement had begun and it will continue worldwide until the Day He returns. And from there on it will never come to an end!

It's been well said that for forgiveness to take place, it only takes one of the aggrieved to forgive the other. But for reconciliation to take place it takes two, or both parties, to so engage. More astoundingly is that the God of the Universe has initiated peace and reconciliation with His enemies--and that would include us! Romans 5:1-2 says: "Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory." (NLT) Colossians 1:19-21 affirms it like this: "For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions." (NLT) God has taken the most extreme measures to turn His enemies into friends. If peace and friendship between you and God isn't your current reality, our Lord most certainly wants to make it so...

1 Peter 2:2-5 says: "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. You are coming to Christ, who is the Living Cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God." (NLT) From dead stones to living stones! It's extraordinary to think that God's people are made to be living stones which are being built together as His temple, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. How can this be?! Such a privileged distinct honor is not one we deserve or ever could earn or afford; it has been purchased for us by the blood of Jesus Christ which the Scriptures declare as priceless! Ephesians 2:19-22 affirms it like this: "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (NIV)

Jesus' brother, James, has much to say about genuine faith and accompanying works. In James 1:22-25 he writes: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (ESV) In James 2:14-17 he says more: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (ESV) When we declare we've been saved by grace alone, through FAITH alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, the FAITH we're talking about is not mere mental assent. The FAITH we're talking about is one that affects our minds as well as our hearts. True FAITH, which God grants as a gift, affects not only our hearts but also our hands and feet. It has substance. It not only acknowledges what God has said but acts upon it. When a meteorologist says rain is coming, our FAITH in his forecast is proved genuine when we leave the house with an umbrella. Hebrews 11:1 affirms: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (ESV)

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 says: "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (ESV) So what are gold, silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, and straw? What do these materials represent? In the narrowest sense they represent the teachings of sound vs errant doctrine, God's truth vs falsehoods. In a broader sense they represent all of our life's production as believers, both in word and deed. As Christians, we dare not look past the cross as we ruminate on Paul's words—instead we look to it and through it. Our salvation, pure and simple, is not earned--this we know. But it is certainly to be evidenced in our words and deeds. If our salvation is beyond epic, and it truly is, then the fruitfulness of such epicness should manifest accordingly. The Day will eventually come when the works of our faith are fully exposed and assessed by our Lord...

Jesus chose a young John to be one of His disciples. With his brother James, our Lord nicknamed the pair, the Sons of Thunder. But eventually John would be known as the Apostle of love, referring to himself in his own gospel as "The disciple whom Jesus loved." John also became the author of the book of Revelation. Perhaps no other Biblical account is more challenging, cryptic, stunning, and glorious than this book, stirring countless theological debates over the centuries. John, however, is given a glimpse into the blissful glories of heaven which he describes in terms that stretch our imaginations to the hilt, with descriptions of beings, sights, sounds, and colors--wondrous beyond the pale! Many think of heaven as naked baby angels playing harps while floating on white puffy clouds. Others imagine a dreamlike state where essentially earth is replicated for us in some man-centered, wishes-come-true utopia. But what John narrates as an eyewitness, under the Holy Spirit's inspiration, makes clear that Heaven is first and foremost God's majestic realm. Here He rules and reigns in Trinitarian dominion, might, and resplendent glory! Here angels and saints bow down in humble yet resounding worship. Here the tainted-ness of mankind has been washed away forever. But John's narrative also makes clear how we gain entrance and eternal residence there: God the Son, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, was slain for us! He died in our place. He rose from the dead. He ascended upon High where He reigns forevermore! And we get to be a part of it all! All glory to His name!

As Joshua prepares to slip into the presence of the Lord he's so faithfully served, he gathers God's people for a farewell address. Joshua 24:14-15 gives us a smidgeon of that potent sermon: “Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (NIV) At first glance we might dismiss part of Joshua's message as being way too Old Testament. But we dare not. The exhortation extends to us here and now. "Choose this day whom YOU will serve!" Here we have God's chosen ones being asked to choose the Chooser. God's benevolent sovereign hand is stretched out to us asking us to place our hand within His. What mercy! What love! What grace! So the question begs asking, have you chosen the Chooser?

Colossians 3:1-4 says: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." (ESV) These opening verses declare what our awesome position is in Christ. The rest of this chapter, and the beginning of the next, lay out virtues that are meant to reflect and be evidence of what genuine faith in Christ should look like. We might call these If/Thens. As they say in theological terms, the indicative leads to the imperative. The neighboring city of Laodicea, just nine miles from Colossae, was written to by Christ Jesus personally. John records that letter in Revelation 3:14-22. In many ways the Laodiceans were Christians in name only. Their actions did not align with their professions of faith. Jesus called them "lukewarm" and if they didn't repent He would spew them out of His mouth. That warning should frighten us all, make us examine ourselves, and stir us to consecrate our hearts afresh while embracing all He has instructed us to do...

In Luke 20:7-12 the good doctor shares the account of a young man named Eutychus who falls out of church; literally. Paul's preaching had continued till midnight and the lad, sitting on the windowsill, falls asleep, then drops out of the three story window to his death! Paul and the rest of the folks rush to his side and God uses Paul to resurrect the deceased boy to life. Then they go back inside and Paul preaches till dawn. (Yes, long sermons are Biblical!) While there's some humor in this story, spiritual slumber is much more serious. Throughout the Scriptures, the call to wake up is found aplenty. These prophetic admonitions are calls to rise from lethargy and complacency to a place of clear-eyed perception, watchfulness, alertness, and readiness. Our enemy, our ancient foe, prowls about like a lion, wily in his stealth, ready to devour his prey. (1 Peter 5:8) Therefore we need to be awake and alert to his cunning schemes. More importantly however, God is ever at work in all our spheres of life and we don't want to miss the opportunity to be useful participants in whatever He is doing. It's hard to focus on what's important while nodding off or snoozing spiritually. Like that vintage chorus recorded by Paul in Ephesians 5:14: "Awake O sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!" Time to get up!