this Sunday we pause our study of Acts as we take the Lord’s Supper. We observe this ordinance of the church every fifth Sunday, as well as at Christmas and Easter, but it has been some time since we took the time to explain what the supper is and why we observe it. So this Sunday, we will look at 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 as Paul admonishes the Corinthians for their misuse of the Lord’s supper. As he rebukes them, he also explains the proper meaning and warning of the Lord’s supper which will be of much benefit to us as we observe this ordinance Jesus instituted. It is a vital part of the life of the church and the life of every believer.

As we near the end of the book of Acts, we come to a climactic point in the book and in the narrative story of Scripture as Paul gives his defense before King Agrippa. Here before this Jewish King, Paul will finally get to give a full testimony without being interrupted by ridicule or riots. And as we examine the text of Paul’s defense, we find that it isn’t really a defense at all. Paul uses this opportunity to connect his preaching and his message with the promise of God to Israel. He shows us that the reason he has undergone all the trials and tribulations in the last five chapters is because of his "hope in the promise made by God to our fathers." In this speech, we find the thread that connects the whole of Scripture to the preaching and mission given to the church. And we see what it is all about. We see what Paul’s trials are all about, and what God’s big story is all about - It is the hope of resurrection through the Messiah Jesus Christ.

But as Paul weaves his masterful narrative and shows Agrippa all these things, we start to see something else. Toward the end of Paul’s defense, we find that it isn’t Paul who is on trial here. It is King Agrippa himself. Not only is Paul explaining that the Messiah of God has commissioned his preaching in fulfillment of the promise of God, but he is actually engaging in his mission right here as he seeks the salvation of Agrippa and all those listening to him. Not only will we see the importance of our mission to make disciples and how we engage it, but we will receive a clear, concise explanation of the grand storyline of God’s Word and how it all fits together.

Sunday as we continue in Acts, we will talk about many things that we have seen before in the previous few chapters. As we saw Paul’s trial before Felix last week, we will see his trial before Festus this week. Acts 25-26 is really one unit, culminating in Paul’s longest speech in Acts as he testifies before King Agrippa, Governor Festus, military tribunes, and the leading men of the city. And through it all we will see God still providentially working to fulfill His word, Paul continuing to answer false accusations with truth, and continuing to be faithful as the witness Jesus has called him to be. In short, he does the same thing we saw him do before in previous chapters. The difference here is that between chapter 24 and 25, Paul has languished in prison for two whole years. Over two years, it seemed that God hadn’t moved. Paul may have felt that God was silent as he could do nothing but wait and hope. And then, when something finally does happen, Paul has to go through the same accusations, the same plots, the same dog and pony show trial as he did two years ago. But even when the trials and sufferings of living for Christ go on and on, when there doesn’t seem to be any break in the tribulations that smash against our lives, we see that God is still working for His purposes and we are still called to be faithful as witnesses commissioned for Him.

We are steadily approaching the conclusion of our exposition in the book of Acts. This Sunday we will look at chapter 24 in its entirety. In chapter 23, Paul was sent to the governor in Caesarea for his own protection. A plot to kill him was providentially discovered and the Roman Tribune sent Paul to Felix under the protection of the Roman army. Now in chapter 24 Paul will be tried by Felix. In this chapter we see the first of several trials in which Paul will bear witness. Through them all, as Paul is on his way to Rome, he shows himself faithful to his calling to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As all faithful witnesses of Christ, Paul is facing lies and false accusations of his beliefs and behavior. But in chapter 24 he shows all believers how to remain faithful to our calling through the persecution and biases of this world. He speaks the truth from a clear conscience toward God and men, taking every opportunity to share the message of the gospel to all people. There is much to learn from this chapter as we ourselves face mounting misinformation in the world about what Christianity is and what the Bible teaches. Because we will have to work quickly to get through all of chapter 24, it will be beneficial for us all to read the chapter before Sunday. I hope to see you there.

As we examine Acts 23:12-35, we will see God’s providence as he works to fulfill His purposes in the ordinary and unexpected events of this life. God will send Paul to Rome just as He promised, yet He will not do so through miraculous deliverance. He will do so through the schemes of the enemy, the unexpected appearance of a relative, and the selfish intentions of the authorities. Yet in all these unpredictable and unexpected "happenings" God is in control. We might not know what God is doing through certain situations, but we know that He knows what He is doing, and we can trust His providence.

Sunday we will continue focusing on the birth of the Savior. Last week in Philippians 2:5-11, we studied how the eternal God emptied Himself to become man and then humbled Himself to become obedient to death. And we rejoiced in the fact that now, the eternal Son of God is now the exalted Lord who is both God and Man. This Sunday we will turn our focus to the question, "Why?" Why did the eternal God become Man. Why was it necessary? What does it accomplish for us? How do we walk in what Jesus has done? To answer these questions, we will delve into Hebrews 2:14-18 and examine the reasons given to us by the Spirit through the author of Hebrews. In His coming, His death, and His resurrection, Jesus destroyed the one with the power of death, He delivered us from our slavery to the fear of death, He became our perfect High Priest, and He is able to help us who are being tempted. Sunday we will examine these four reasons in depth, and what they mean for our lives.

This Sunday, we will take a break from our exposition of Acts to focus ourselves on celebrating the birth of the Savior. Of course, we can’t discuss the birth of Jesus without also having an eye toward His purpose in coming. So Sunday, we will examine one of my very favorite passages of Scripture, Philippians 2:5-11. Often called the "emptying" passage, we will see how the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, emptied himself by taking the nature of a human being and entering into His own creation. Not only did He enter His creation, being born in Bethlehem, but He humbled Himself even becoming obedient to death so that the wages of others’ sin would be paid in full. And finally we see Jesus exalted to the right hand of the Father and given the name above every name. We will examine all these things in full and marvel at the love of God in the coming of the Savior. The story of Christmas and the truth of Jesus’ exaltation as God and Man is the foundation of everything. It is the joy of our lives, the glory above all others, and the very need of our souls. I hope you can join us the Sunday.