Selah - A Podcast by Koinonia Fellowship Pastor Ray Viola

The angel said to the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus Christ, He is not here, but is risen. We also declare this morning this glorious truth. Yes, Jesus was crucified, but He is risen. Beloved, Jesus is risen. He has conquered sin and death, and has risen from the grave! Our salvation from the kingdom of darkness and deliverance from the debt of sin has been paid in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As glorious as the resurrection of Jesus is, we also declare that He has ascended unto The Father. Jesus is seated right now at the right hand of The Father. And because Jesus is exalted, The Father has given unto Him all power and authority. In other words, the ascended Jesus is not only The Great High Priest and Advocate of the saints. He is also The One Mediator between a holy God and sinful man. But we also know that Jesus rules and reigns from that lofty position in heaven all the affairs of heaven and earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Risen and Ascended Jesus is ruling over every nation, every power of darkness, every event that takes place on planet earth take place according to “the clock” and timing of heaven. Lest we forget, the church is called to be an active part in the redemption of man on earth. This redemptive plan is known as The Great Commission.

Because Jesus is risen and ascended, we read in Luke 24:46-47 Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Mark 16:15 says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus declares, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus is notably a message of forgiveness and life, but it is also a command to proclaim Him to the lost because He has promised that He is coming again, and only those who turn to Him in faith with spend eternity with Him in heaven. SELAH

Nobody’s life personified second chances like the life of the Apostle Paul. We can learn a lot by observing the relationship that Paul had with God throughout his life. Earlier in his life, Paul persecuted people for following Jesus. He had them beaten, imprisoned, and even put to death because of their belief in God’s only Son, yet God forgave him and offered him a second chance. 

Sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. Sometimes we wonder if God could still love us after all of the sins we have committed. Paul’s story reminds us that God’s love, mercy, and grace know no limits!

Wrongly accused of disrespecting Jewish law, Paul shares his upbringing, religious training, and conversion to Christianity with the crowd. As soon as he says, “Gentiles,” people remember their anger and begin rioting again. There are few things more powerful and disarming than a story, particularly the story of how Jesus can change someone’s life.

Paul could have argued the finer points of the law with anyone in the crowd. He could have expounded on Jesus’ fulfillment of every nook and cranny of Old Testament prophecy. Instead, Paul shared his story of transformation with a vicious mob. A murderer of Christians morphed into a preacher of the Gospel, all that is compelling stuff. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was a life-changing event. From that moment on, Paul went from persecuting Christians to risking his life repeatedly in his service to the Lord.

As we study Paul’s life, we will see three things:
1. God had a plan for Paul.
2. Paul was Obedient.
3. Paul became one of the most significant people in the history of the world.

Just as He did for Paul, God has a plan for each of us. The question is, will we follow it? Will we allow God’s plan to work in our lives?  When God’s plans take us out of our comfort zone in a direction that we did not foresee, will we stay the course? If we do, our reward in Heaven will be great!

Every Christ follower has a story to tell. All of us have been rescued from a life of sin and disobedience, set free to follow Jesus. We don’t need to be articulate salesmen or well-educated theologians to tell others about Jesus. God has given each of us a story of transformation and the power of the Gospel.

Who are we sharing our stories with? What does this passage teach us about God? How does it apply to you? How do you feel when faith comes up with people who don’t believe? Do you shy away from talking about Jesus with friends, family, and co-workers? Why or why not?

How do we measure whether or not a ministry outreach is a failure or a success? As we continue our journey through Acts, earlier in chapter 21, we read And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.(Acts 21:10,11).

In spite of the danger, Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem to deliver a financial gift to the struggling Jewish from their Gentile brethren. When Paul arrived, he was made aware of a problem by some of the Jewish brethren who accused Paul of teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles that they were to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. To “solve” the problem, the Jewish brethren in Jerusalem suggested this. We have four men which have a vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law (Acts 21:23,24). Paul agrees. Problem solved right? Wrong!

 The Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place (Acts 21:27,28). Their attempt to solve the problem “backfired.” Or did it? Not really.

Paul asked for an opportunity to share the gospel with the very same angry crowd of Jews who were out to kill him. The desire to share the gospel with his fellow Jews was the prayer of Paul’s heart (Romans 9:1-3). Outwardly speaking, it would appear that Paul’s ministry there was a disaster. But in the eyes of God, it was a success, because God spells success by our obedience and faithfulness, in spite of the outward response, good or bad. SELAH

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he presented the church with both a gift and a problem. He brought a gift for the financially struggling church in Jerusalem from the Gentile churches, but he also brought a problem because rumors had been spread that he was encouraging the Jewish believers to forsake the Mosaic traditions and customs.

In light of our study today, I see two reasons for Paul’s readiness to go to Jerusalem in spite of what trouble awaited him there: (1) Paul’s had an intense love and concern for the Jewish Christians that were hurting financially and (2) according to Paul’s own words in Romans 9:1-5, Paul had an intense love to win his fellow unsaved Jews to come to know Jesus as The Christ. Personal comfort or safety was of no concern to Paul when it came to being obedient to the will of God in his life. Paul’s love for Christ, along with his intense love for his fellow Jewish people, both saved and lost, constrained him to live the way that he did. Truly, the Spirit and heart of Jesus Christ was alive in him.

But a problem arose. "And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come"(Acts 21:21,22). Nowhere did Paul ever say that it was wrong for a Jewish person to practice their ancestral customs, so long as they did not trust in that particular custom or ritual as the reason for their salvation or the basis of fellowship with the Gentile believers. Paul did teach that circumcision was not necessary for either a Jew or a Gentile to be saved. However, contrary to those rumors, Paul had Timothy circumcised before taking him along on the second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-3).

So to “solve” the problem, these Jewish leaders of the church in Jerusalem suggested to Paul that he demonstrate his respect for the law of Moses by identifying himself with four other men that had taken a Nazarite vow (Num. 6:13-21). By doing so, they were convinced that Paul would give them all to understand that the matters which had been reported concerning him were without foundation. It is important to bear in mind that Paul didn’t take this vow because he was commanded to do so. He took this vow because he wanted to win these fellow Jews to Jesus Christ, The Messiah (see 1 Cor 9:19-23).

So did their advice to Paul work? The very thing by which he hoped to pacify the Jews backfired. Paul was attacked in the temple by a mob incited by the false charge that he had violated the temple. The Romans rescued him and kept him in custody.

There are going to be times in the serving The Lord beloved when others will attack you or judge you or spread rumors about you even though you are doing the right thing with the right heart for the glory of God. This did not stop Paul from fighting the good fight of faith. Do not allow opposition from within or without the church stop you from serving The Lord beloved. 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." 1 Cor 15:58  SELAH

Reader, can you say today that, “The Lord is my shepherd?” The 23rd Psalm is one of the most cherished of all Psalms. For it declares the truth, that Jesus Christ IS The Great Shepherd. When Jesus ministered on earth, we read that when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd (Matt 9:36). Mankind is likened to sheep. We are sheep who need a shepherd.

It is one thing to say that you know you need a shepherd. It is another thing all together to say, know, and believe in your heart that “The Lord is my shepherd.” On this Lord’s Supper Sunday, the words of The Lord Jesus from the gospel of John, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep (John 10:11), come to mind. The Bible states that without the shedding of blood is no remission of sin (Heb 9:22; 10:18). We read in Hebrews 13:20,21, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Please note the phrase, beloved, the blood of the everlasting covenant.

It is by faith in the sinless, perfect blood of Jesus, The Lamb of God, that we enter into an everlasting covenant with God. Jesus has become unto us both The Lamb of God and our Great Shepherd. You see that it is not until you come to faith in Jesus Christ, The Lamb of God, as the Savior of your soul, that you can come to know Him as your Shepherd. We are born into this world alienated from the life of God. He is our Creator, but He is not our Lord or Shepherd until we are born again. Peter writes to those who have repented and trusted Christ as their savior, for ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls (1 Pet 2:25).

You were gone astray, before your conversion, but now have returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul. Beloved, have you returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your soul, Jesus Christ? The prophet Isaiah foretold that when The Great Shepherd appeared, He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (Isa 40:11). So as we study Psalm 23 together this morning, my prayer is that every person reading this or hearing this message would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the testimony of David is your testimony as well. The Lord is my Shepherd should never be a question in the life of any who claim Him as Lord, but an exclamation point!! SELAH

This portion of the text gives us a narrative of the events that took place on Paul’s third missionary journey. We as believers regularly face situations where it is not clear whether we are hearing God. When we feel that we have heard something, we may be conflicted and unsure if we should act on it or not. We question if it is really from the Lord, especially if it leaves us feeling uncomfortable.
 
When we are in these kinds of situations it requires courage on our part; courage to be obedient. Courage involves knowing the danger and yet pressing forward to do what we are convinced about even though there are doubts and concerns. Paul is in the midst of such a situation. Paul is convinced that he must go to Jerusalem regardless of the consequences. His friends on the other hand seem just as convinced and give the impression that they too have heard from the Lord that he should do just the opposite. 
 
So how do we navigate these situations? What would you do if you were in Apostle Paul’s shoes? Do you give in to the persuasion of the godly people in your life or do you stay the course? Certainly, if the outcome seems good, you may find it easier to obey God’s personal message to you, but if the outcome seems bad, it would be difficult to find courage and be obedient.
 
Which message is from the Lord? Why is it so conflicting? Is it really from God or perhaps from the devil? How does one hear God and know for sure that they have heard from Him?
 
All of this comes down to submission and obedience, and you may fall into one of three categories:
 
1. You have no desire to know the will of God.
2. You have knowledge of the will of God but no desire to do it.
3. You know and desire to do the will of God regardless of outcomes.

When it comes to obedience don’t go looking for a loophole, or what we would spiritualize and call, confirmation. God does give us the gift of godly human counsel, but you must discern if you are using it to escape an unpleasant situation or if it is really a confirmation or denial of what you thought you heard from God. We must be resolved to obey more than anything else, do it willingly and not grudgingly and do it completely. 
 
We cannot have reservations about the wisdom of doing it God’s way because we are conflicted about it. We cannot apply the worldly standards of logic because the end does not justify the means. Sometimes God is simply not logical. It is possible the conflict has come to play because compromise has seeped through the cracks. It is also possible that you are focused on just one portion of what God desires and not the whole aspect of obedience. It is well said, God has said it and that settles it!
 
Paul took this approach and did not allow his well-intended friends to sway him away from listening and obeying God. He was sincere in his desire to live God’s will, nothing more, nothing less and nothing else - regardless of the cost!