As believers, our love for one another should be able to transcend any perceived slight or offense. Our love should reach across the aisle to apologize if we have hurt someone’s feelings, or unintentionally wounded them in any way. Without love at the core of a church like ours—a diverse church with people of all races, many nations and cultures, and yes, even various political perspectives—without love, we will never survive. Like Paul, my prayer is that our love will grow more and more.
What do people think, when they think of you? Do they think you are an encourager or do they think you are a complainer? Do they think you are joyful or do they you are sullen and brooding? Do they think you are generous or do they think you are miserly and stingy? Do they think you are pleasant to be around, or would they rather avoid you? Like it or not, when our name comes up in conversation, people who know us, immediately think something when they think about us.
We might think it is demeaning to refer to oneself as a slave or a servant, but in the first century, the slave of a high-ranking official often had more influence and authority than the average free Roman citizen. A servant sent in the name of his master came with conferred authority; therefore, to rebuff the servant was to rebuff the one who sent him. As the servants of Jesus Christ, we have been sent in His name, and there is power in the name of Jesus.
Acts 16 is a powerful chapter illustrating that if we are willing to obey the Holy Spirit, count the cost, and go, then God can do more than we could even ask or imagine. But you gotta start somewhere. This chapter gives a great overview of what is needed to plant a church or start a ministry successfully. Furthermore, it shows us that even in a place that is hostile to the gospel and to the people who proclaim the good news, ministry can be successful.
We are called to be holy, and that holiness is the result of our covenant relationship with God through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This relationship with God calls us to be a holy nation in a sinful society; to be lights in the darkness; to speak truth to deception; to live right and do right in a do-wrong world. Jesus said believers are in the world, but we are not of the world (Jn 17:15-16). Instead, our citizenship is in heaven, our identity is Jesus Christ. He set the standard and now by faith, we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Ph 3:14).
In verse 40, when Jesus was still very young, Luke said, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Then in the last verse of our text, verse 52, Luke wrote, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” These two statements essentially say that Jesus matured physically, spiritually, and intellectually, and sandwiched between verses 40 and 52 is the account of Jesus in the temple at the age of 12.
If we pay attention to what God is doing in our lives, I believe we will discover that God prepares us for what is coming before are even aware it is coming. Often, it is only when we look back that we see and understand that God is always two steps ahead of any problem or challenge that the enemy tried to put in our path.
I remember watching old science fiction shows where the aliens arrive on planet earth and the first thing they said when they encountered any lifeform was, “Take me to your leader.” When the magi arrived in Jerusalem, they were indeed looking for their leader, only they did not go to Herod. Instead, they were looking for one whose star they saw rising in the east. They were looking for the real King of Israel.
How do we sustain our commitment to looking up for our Redeemer in times like these? We do it the same way Simeon did it. He kept believing because he had a promise from the Holy Spirit, so he faithfully came to the temple believing that this could be the day. Day after day, week after week, year after year passed, but still, Simeon came believing and expecting. And then on this day, Luke said Simeon “came by the Spirit into the temple.” We need to be sensitive to the Spirit because when the Spirit is prompting us to go, to worship, and to believe, we need to get up and go. After all, this could be the day we get our breakthrough!
Have you ever felt like God has more for you than you are currently experiencing, but there seems to be some kind of barrier keeping you from fully achieving your Divine destiny? The Bible tells us that God has plans for our lives. God told Israel, “For I know the plans I have for you … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). Likewise, David wrote in Psalm 37:27, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” In the New Testament, Jesus invites us to follow Him because He has come so that we might have life and that more abundantly (Jn 10:10).
