Sometimes people want to assert their rights and will hold on to their privileges with a death grip, rather than surrender anything for the cause of a right relationship with others. Jesus was God—you don’t get any higher than that—yet Jesus Christ, the eternally begotten Son of God, did not cling to the power and privileges of being God. Instead, He released His grasp on the independent use of His divine attributes so that He could become a servant, and to do this, He who was God became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Importance & Power of Unity
If we ever arrive at that place of powerful unity where the Holy Spirit is able to move and manifest in power, we will see powerful results as souls by the hundreds and thousands are added to the church. If we will achieve that unity, speaking with one voice, then nothing we desire to do in Christ will be withheld from us.
FAITH UNDER FIRE
Two levels of citizenship are implied: they were citizens of heaven living as lights in the darkness, and without compromising their testimony, they should also be good citizens of their city. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are an outpost of believers in a fallen world, but while we are in this world, we need to engage our communities in such a way that we make Christ appealing to the lost. Just like millions of people want to come to America, our joy, peace, and love should make others want to become followers of Christ.
This Is What I Know
Paul knew that if he was faithful to God then there was no way the devil could win this battle. If God chose to let him live, then Paul would live for Christ, and if God chose to take him home to heaven, then he knew that was the ultimate promotion and his faith would end in sight. When we are believers, the devil cannot win. In fact, the devil has already lost because victory was won through the cross and the empty tomb. We still have a few things to wrap up in this dispensation, but the victory has already been won. Whether we live or die, we are the winners and Satan is still defeated.
YOU CAN’T CHAIN THE GOSPEL
When we are willing to decrease so that Jesus can increase, then we are ready to be effective in ministry. When people are less impressed with us and more impressed with Jesus after we minister to them, then we are truly being lights in the darkness. Even if they don’t remember our name, but they remember the name of Jesus, then we have done our job as faithful servants of our Lord and Savior.
My Prayer for You
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.
Every Time I Think of You
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.
Grace and Peace
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.
You Gotta Start Somewhere
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.