Effie Darlene Barba

It had been a very rough day and night.  Now Paul was being brought before the Jews who had accused him.  The Roman Guards wanted to get to the bottom of the story.  They wanted to understand what Paul had done to so anger the crowd and they wanted to get it right.  After all, they were there to keep the peace; but to do so they needed to know what laws might have been broken, if any.  So, there he stood before the crowd.  Paul began.  “Men and Brethern, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”  Washed in the blood of Christ, Paul’s conscience was clean.  He had surrendered to God’s will each step of the way.  Ah, but unwittingly he was about to break the law for which he quickly acknowledged his own failure. Repenting, he sought God’s wisdom once more to respond.

So, what was the blunder for which Paul repented?  The high Priest commanded someone close to Paul to hit him in the mouth.  Paul replied, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit there judging me according to the law, and in violation of the law you order me to be struck?” (ACTS 23:3 NET). In other words, he called the high Priest a hypocrite.  However, he had not realized Ananias was the high priest.  So, they had him on a technicality, because he for a second lost his cool.  “⁴Do you dare insult God’s high priest?” ⁵ Paul replied, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’ (Acts 23, NET).  He had broken the law for which he repented immediately.  How quickly do we repent?

When We Fail

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How does one respond with love to a hostile crowd?  All too often we are told we must compromise, be silent or even give in to whatever radical idea they espouse to build a bridge of unity.  Yet, is that truly loving when it comes down to defending the gospel or not?  We are told to for the sake of unity and love to acknowledge a lie for truth.  So many try to say it is unloving to say homosexuality is a sin, or that abortion is killing a child? The crowd becomes hostile screaming bigot if we say Jesus is the only way of salvation.  But, knowing eternity lies before every man, woman and child, would the loving thing be to just let them be to die in darkness and face judgement when we have the key to salvation?

If a man stood on a high precipice saying, if I jump, I can fly-do we let him jump? Paul would say, “No!”  He came to Jerusalem with gifts for the church of Jerusalem.  At the same time, he came bearing the sacrificial gift of his hair having fulfilled a very traditional Jewish ritual of completing a Nazarite vow.  Did he believe that the vow held a key to salvation?  No, but for him, he fulfilled the Nazarite vow with a passionate love for God and for the Jewish people.  It was Paul who said to not do things that could be a stumbling block for others.  He detailed this in Romans 14.  So, for Paul he fulfilled the ritual of the Nazarite vow, as a symbol to the Jewish people of his love and devotion to God. And as a sacrifice, sweet savoring to God.

A Hostile Crowd

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Paul was unstoppable in his mission.  He with great determination spread the gospel throughout the lands in Asia and Europe.  During all his journeys he faced great opposition, beatings, stoning, and even was shipwrecked.  Many of us would have either stopped or even proclaimed that surely God would not allow such trials in our life.  But why wouldn’t He?  To submit to Jesus Christ means we are willing to face the trials He faced.  Wouldn’t the very passion to know Him fully demand that we be willing to imitate Him in everything?  His love both for the Father and for the sinner drove His passion so that He willingly paid the full penalty of sin for all who would come to Him for Salvation. That kind of passion and love for the lost would drive us to know fearless faith whatever the cost.

If only we love as He loved. Submitting to His will.  Trusting God, no matter what.

So, what is your mission?  Does your heart burn with a love for the lost?  When you walk through a crowd or even when you listen to the news, does your heart break for those who don’t know Christ?  Or have you grown cold, insensitive to this?  After all, doesn’t society tell you to worry about yourself only?  Yet, Paul pleaded and prayed that we are To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:19).  Filled with all the fulness of God.  To know the true heighth, depth, length, and width of that kind of love, overflowing with joy, hope, and desire that others might experience the power of walking hand in hand with God.

Fearless Faith Whatever the Cost

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As Paul prepared to go to Jerusalem, he returned to Ephesus before his departure.  Many pleaded with him not to go; but he would follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, regardless of the danger.  His final speech to the leaders of the church of Ephesus reveals a life worth living: where sorrow and glory meet.

Acts 20: 17-23

¹⁷ And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

¹⁸ And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,

¹⁹ Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

²⁰ And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house,

²¹ Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

²² And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

²³ Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

He knew he would not be returning; but he willingly obeyed the spirit’s prompting to go.

Life Worth Living: When Sorrow and Glory Meet

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