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 21:37–40
As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”
Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
CONSIDER THIS
Remember Agabus? He was right. Just as prophesied, Paul found himself bound in two chains. Jerusalem was turning out to be all the Holy Spirit promised. Utter pandemonium prevailed. The soldiers thought Paul was some kind of jihadist. It’s hard to imagine the level of vitriol and violence being spewed at Paul. The “peace of Jerusalem” felt like a pipe dream.
So what about Paul? Was he scared out of his wits? Not a chance. In the midst of all this chaos, Paul saw his moment. He played the citizenship card. He asked for the microphone. A silent hush fell over the crazed crowd. He began speaking in Aramaic . . .
Maybe you’ve heard the (perhaps apocryphal) story about the Chinese word for “crisis”? They say it also means “opportunity.” This is a case study in that. The world sees a crisis. The apostle sees an opportunity. What looks like sure martyrdom turns out to be a bigger microphone. Our God stands ever-ready to take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it into something good. Consider this a Genesis 50:20 case study.
It’s moments like these that fuel the freight of some of Paul’s most famously inspired words: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Consider this unfolding scene and scenario a Romans 8:28 case study. In fact, this would turn out to be the unlikely way Paul would get his ticket to the place he longed to go the most: Rome!
It’s moments like these that give Paul the coin to say things like, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).
Consider this a Philippians 4:6–7 case study.
It’s moments like these that give Paul the credibility on top of credibility to say things like, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:10–13).
Consider this an Ephesians 6:10–13 case study.
That’s what I love about the Acts of the Apostles—it’s like the biggest case study of the whole Bible. It is all coming true—the good, the bad, the hard, and the beautiful—right before our very eyes, through the lives of this apostle and so many others in his company. And the case study is still unfolding today through you and me. We are witnesses.
And as they say, a hater’s gonna hate. So what does an apostle say to a crowd of haters in a moment like this? Stay tuned . . .
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness. I long to be like you.
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
Reflect on this statement: “What looks like sure martyrdom turns out to be a bigger microphone.” Where are you seeing the Scriptures unfolding as a case study in your life about now?
THE HYMN
Today we will sing “Come, We That Love the Lord (Marching to Zion)” (hymn 626) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. Get your copy here.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
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2 Responses
This incident here in Acts is yet another case where things are sometimes not what they seem to be. While we are naturally only able to see things in the present time, God is not restrained to time and space. He sees all reality from the beginning of time until it’s conclusion. So yet another case study in Scripture, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “ For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) This means that our only proper response can only be, “ Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”
“Please let me speak to the people.”
Paul, who was sent by Jesus
Said those words to solders
Tying to protect him
From an angry mob
Who had made it their job
To attack and kill him.
All Christ-followers have
Important things to say
We shouldn’t be silent
And hide or run away.
We’re sent to be Christ’s light
Everywhere and every day.
To speak the truth in love,
It’s necessary to use words.
Please speak about Jesus
To the people.
(Acts 21:39.)