PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Acts 21:27–36
When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)
The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
CONSIDER THIS
Let’s begin today with a bit of a recap to get our bearings. We are in Jerusalem with the apostle Paul—the firebrand turned lightning rod—who is now on the Jerusalem’s Most Wanted list. The church leadership in Jerusalem devised a plan to help Paul walk through the minefield the city had become for prophetic leaders like himself. So Paul went with the plan, took the vow, shaved his head, tried to blend in, and still got his rear end kicked (to put it mildly).
So why is everyone so infuriated with Paul in Jerusalem, particularly the Jewish believers?
It really does seem like a big misunderstanding to me. These Jewish believers believed Paul was teaching the Jews to turn away from the customs and traditions of Moses, such as circumcising their children. Paul was obviously not against circumcision. Ask poor Timothy. In actuality, Paul was teaching the uncircumcised Gentiles that circumcision was not necessary to receive salvation by faith through grace and become a follower of Jesus. Paul was against adding anything to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What’s most confounding about this story is we have so-called Jewish believers literally trying to kill Paul. It just goes to show that the greatest threat to the gospel doesn’t usually come from the outsiders but from the insiders. Religion, and especially religious institutions, can be treacherous. Sadly, anyone who has been around the church or so-called Christian organizations and institutions for any length of time knows some of the most treacherous people are often the ones serving at high levels of leadership and governance. It is tragic and often unconscionable the way leaders—from Paul to the present day—are handled and treated in the name of Jesus.
Jerusalem is a dangerous city and for all the reasons we wouldn’t expect. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, said the psalmist. It’s a pretty tall order. And be assured—Jerusalem is not just a city in Israel. It is all around us. The spirit of Jerusalem runs by the ethos of optics, the thin facade of religious holiness masking the underlying ethics of power and control driven by the economy of honor and shame. Then and now, Jerusalem is the place where small-stakes power players stealthily strategize to kill big-time prophets and apostles.
Did you notice what the riotous crowd was shouting about Paul? It’s the last verse in today’s text:
The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”
It kind of reminds us of what those crowds were shouting some years earlier on a crisp spring day in this self-same city of Jerusalem. Do the words, “Release Barabbas! Crucify him!” ring a bell.
And in today’s case—of all things—the heroes are the officers and soldiers. Thank God for the Romans.
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness. I long to be like you. And because I know that your consecration is my sanctification,
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness.
I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
THE JOURNAL PROMPTS
Where have you experienced the treachery of religion—and I mean Christianity? What was going on there? Did you remain quiet and go along with it? Or did you stand against it?
THE HYMN
Today we will sing “When Peace Like a River (It Is Well with My Soul)” (hymn 344) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. Get your copy here.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
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4 Responses
In my opinion, today’s Wake-up call once again demonstrates that true to what Solomon once wrote, “ What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). I truly believe that there are two major issues within the institutionalized church that continue to impede the expansion of the KOG. The first one is the professionalization of ministry. The artificial separation of clergy from laity is a useful tool of Satan to suppress the Universal Priesthood of all believers. The Bible makes it very clear that ALL believers are called and Spiritually gifted to function in some form of service/ministry for Christ. Secondly, the idea that all believers must claim allegiance toward a particular denomination/sect/tribe of the Church, serves to attempt to divide the Body of Christ into parcels, thus making her more vulnerable to attacks from Satan and his hoard of demons. I’ve personally come under pressure to formally have my name placed on a membership role at a local church. I declined, because that would have negatively affected other ministries that I’m currently involved in. This happened in a local congregation that I’ve been active in as an adult SS facilitator for over a decade. Fortunately, the lay leader who was pushing for this backed down after I explained to the entire class why I held that particular position. I continue to advocate to that class, as well as, to a couple of ecumenical small groups that I facilitate, the fact that as believers, we all have a calling and Spiritual empowerment to minister in some function to build up the body of Christ; that the whole body is edified as everyone uses their gift to the glory of God.
It’s human nature to want to silence and get rid of any voice that speaks against the things that make us comfortable. That’s why true freedom of speech is rare in human history. That’s why people who sincerely follow the inner leading and direction of the risen Jesus have been persecuted throughout the last 2,000 years (often by religious people who see them as a threat to their religious hierarchy and established traditions).
In the Bible Christ-followers didn’t bully, coerce, or try to use the government to make people live by their standards. They humbly spoke the truth in love and suffered verbal and physical attacks without retaliating. They blessed those who cursed them.
The first Christians didn’t conform to the verbal abuse or the physical violence of their culture. They transcended it. They were in the world but not of it–living with their minds transformed and renewed by Christ’s inner presence and supernatural perspective
The transformation that matters most is inner transformation. That happens when the mind shifts its focus away from the demands and dictatorship of dominating desires and self-protection and aligns with the wisdom of the conscience (“Christ in you, the hope of glory,”) thus empowering a person to be in a crazed culture but not be conformed to it–to be a living example of clear thinking, inner peace, kindness, and joy.
A mind that is captured by the desire for comfort and surrendered to self-focus needs to be renewed and transformed by a better way of thinking. It takes courage to live in a culture that is caught up in confusion and not be conformed to its chaotic thinking.
The idea that someone hates, fears, or judges you just because they disagree with some of your behaviors or beliefs is irrational. If we won’t be kind to people who disagree with or disapprove of our lifestyle and world view, we’re not following the risen Jesus. Staged Christianity creates religious spectators who tend to be conformed to the comfort, carnality, and triviality of world around them, but where are the disciples whose hearts are constantly engaged in loving, adoring, and obeying the risen Jesus and demonstrating His command to bless those who curse you?
This is a solid teaching and timely for me. Many Daily Text teachings have focused on the holy love of God. This quote does not describe that: “The spirit of Jerusalem runs by the ethos of optics, the thin facade of religious holiness masking the underlying ethics of power and control driven by the economy of honor and shame. Then and now, Jerusalem is the place where small-stakes power players stealthily strategize to kill big-time prophets and apostles.”
How does one overcome this behavior when it’s seen in the church, especially in pastors? It has alienated my husband from any interest or willingness to be involved with other Christians and I often feel disheartened as I work in a church as a support person for multiple pastors. Such behavior, ie, speaking ill of other believers, criticizing pastors and laity, not allowing or supporting individuals who are qualified to teach, actually making fun of some who are just trying to figure out the life of faith, etc. often hinders my own journey.
Where is God’s holy love in any of this? And, since speaking up would cost me my job, I usually remain silent. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy the DT-Wake Up Call so much. Thank you for continuing to teach the truth of the Word.
Dear Debbie, I can so identify with where you are! To some extent I think Jerusalem in this devotional is all around us and I s a metaphor for the spirit of religion which is so pervasive in church and out. What I have found to be very helpful for me to being a part of a small group of trusted fellow-believers (even if that is only one person) who can pray together for the church, the pastor, and ourselves and to encourage one another and hold each other accountable . There are 5 of us and we have been greatly blessed by the Acts, Volume 2, Wake -Up Call Journal for this series. We meet together once a week and share our take-always from the devotionals, and one of the meetings each month we devote to the 5 questions suggested for a Band Meeting! It has been transformational! Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 expresses this beautifully. “Two are better than one…”. Maybe this would bless you as well.