Daily Liturgy and Scripture Alex Parrish

Paul seems to have an urgency in his actions now, perhaps driven by the foreboding news from Jerusalem. It's interesting how things like that can propel us forward, giving us a sense of purpose and a deeper passion for our call.

We are accountable to one another in this Kingdom of Jesus. Paul was accountable to bring the Word to his churches, but he was not the center of worship. The influence of the Holy Spirit and the commitment to one another are the things which sustains us, and listening to both the Spirit and one another remain important as we work together.

Ever sat through a sermon so boring that you fell out the window and died? To be fair, it says Paul was talking, not preaching. Still, you have to hand it to Paul: if you kill someone with preaching, the least you can do is raise them back up!

Not worshipping other gods is a basic command for followers of the true God, but sometimes those gods do not go quietly. Not the gods themselves, of course. But the people who profit from the established powers that work against the way of Jesus are often the loudest of all, when their power is threatened.

The instance of the possessed man beating the Sons of Sceva comes across as comical, but there is a hard truth here that rests in the middle of the story: the power of the Holy Spirit is not for personal glory, but for the glory of God.

Apollos came to prominence at much the same level as Paul: he was a scholar, he had defended Jesus as Messiah publicly. This stage of the early Church was about bringing together teachers like him to get everyone on the same page, and especially to help the theologians understand the importance of the Holy Spirit.