North Stafford Church of Christ

Thurs Mar 11 - Before FelixActs 24:1-27

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

^1-4 Within five days, the Chief Priest Ananias arrived with a contingent of leaders, along with Tertullus, a trial lawyer. They presented the governor with their case against Paul. When Paul was called before the court, Tertullus spoke for the prosecution: "Most Honorable Felix, we are most grateful in all times and places for your wise and gentle rule. We are much aware that it is because of you and you alone that we enjoy all this peace and gain daily profit from your reforms. I'm not going to tire you out with a long speech. I beg your kind indulgence in listening to me. I'll be quite brief.

^5-8"We've found this man time and again disturbing the peace, stirring up riots against Jews all over the world, the ringleader of a seditious sect called Nazarenes. He's a real bad apple, I must say. We caught him trying to defile our holy Temple and arrested him. You'll be able to verify all these accusations when you examine him yourself."

⁹The Jews joined in: "Hear, hear! That's right!"

^10-13The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, "I count myself fortunate to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded you've been in judging us all these years. I've been back in the country only twelve days—you can check out these dates easily enough. I came with the express purpose of worshiping in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and I've been minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing in the Temple or working up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with evidence or witnesses.

^14-15"But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way, which they malign as a dead-end street, I serve and worship the very same God served and worshiped by all our ancestors and embrace everything written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that's my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am.

^16-19"Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do. I've been out of the country for a number of years and now I'm back. While I was away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at my prayers in the Temple. There was no crowd, there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around Ephesus who started all this trouble. And you'll notice they're not here today. They're cowards, too cowardly to accuse me in front of you.

^20-21"So ask these others what crime they've caught me in. Don't let them hide behind this smooth-talking Tertullus. The only thing they have on me is that one sentence I shouted out in the council: 'It's because I believe in the resurrection that I've been hauled into this court!' Does that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?"

^22-23Felix shilly-shallied. He knew far more about the Way than he let on, and could have settled the case then and there. But uncertain of his best move politically, he played for time. "When Captain Lysias comes down, I'll decide your case." He gave orders to the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to more or less give him the run of the place and not prevent his friends from helping him.

^24-26A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. "That's enough for today. I'll call you back when it's convenient." At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently.

²⁷After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still playing up to the Jews and ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison.

(Acts 24:1-27, The Message)

Lent is a spiritual journey reminder that prepares our hearts for Easter. It is an invitation to move from the darkness of the season—the sorrow, sacrifice, and loneliness of the cross—to the brightness of Easter, as we look forward to new birth, an empty tomb, and a resurrection. The power of the story is not only that Jesus conquered sin on the cross and was raised from the grave, but the effect this truth has upon all creation. This year, Stafford churches are coming together to tell the story of Jesus. We will unite through prayer, reading, fasting, and serving. We want the world around us to experience the power of Christ. The apostle Paul is a great example of how Jesus can change a heart and a life. In coming days we will see Paul compelled by love, convinced by truth, changed by Christ, and called to share.

Wed Mar 10 - The PlotACts 23:12-35

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

^12-15Next day the Jews worked up a plot against Paul. They took a solemn oath that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed him. Over forty of them ritually bound themselves to this murder pact and presented themselves to the high priests and religious leaders. "We've bound ourselves by a solemn oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul. But we need your help. Send a request from the council to the captain to bring Paul back so that you can investigate the charges in more detail. We'll do the rest. Before he gets anywhere near you, we'll have killed him. You won't be involved."

^16-17Paul's nephew, his sister's son, overheard them plotting the ambush. He went immediately to the barracks and told Paul. Paul called over one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the captain. He has something important to tell him."

¹⁸The centurion brought him to the captain and said, "The prisoner Paul asked me to bring this young man to you. He said he has something urgent to tell you."

¹⁹The captain took him by the arm and led him aside privately. "What is it? What do you have to tell me?"

^20-21Paul's nephew said, "The Jews have worked up a plot against Paul. They're going to ask you to bring Paul to the council first thing in the morning on the pretext that they want to investigate the charges against him in more detail. But it's a trick to get him out of your safekeeping so they can murder him. Right now there are more than forty men lying in ambush for him. They've all taken a vow to neither eat nor drink until they've killed him. The ambush is set—all they're waiting for is for you to send him over."

²²The captain dismissed the nephew with a warning: "Don't breathe a word of this to a soul."

^23-24The captain called up two centurions. "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go immediately to Caesarea. Also seventy cavalry and two hundred light infantry. I want them ready to march by nine o'clock tonight. And you'll need a couple of mules for Paul and his gear. We're going to present this man safe and sound to Governor Felix."

^25-30Then he wrote this letter:

From Claudius Lysias, to the Most Honorable Governor Felix:

Greetings! I rescued this man from a Jewish mob. They had seized him and were about to kill him when I learned that he was a Roman citizen. So I sent in my soldiers. Wanting to know what he had done wrong, I had him brought before their council. It turned out to be a squabble turned vicious over some of their religious differences, but nothing remotely criminal. The next thing I knew, they had cooked up a plot to murder him. I decided that for his own safety I'd better get him out of here in a hurry. So I'm sending him to you. I'm informing his accusers that he's now under your jurisdiction. ^31-33The soldiers, following orders, took Paul that same night to safety in Antipatris. In the morning the soldiers returned to their barracks in Jerusalem, sending Paul on to Caesarea under guard of the cavalry. The cavalry entered Caesarea and handed Paul and the letter over to the governor.

^34-35After reading the letter, the governor asked Paul what province he came from and was told "Cilicia." Then he said, "I'll take up your case when your accusers show up." He ordered him locked up for the meantime in King Herod's official quarters.

(Acts 23:12-35, The Message)

Tues Mar 9 - Before the SanhedrinActs 22:30-23:11

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:05:00 PST

³⁰The next day, determined to get to the root of the trouble and know for sure what was behind the Jewish accusation, the captain released Paul and ordered a meeting of the high priests and the High Council to see what they could make of it. Paul was led in and took his place before them. ^1-3Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: "Friends, I've lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment." That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, "God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!"

⁴The aides were scandalized: "How dare you talk to God's Chief Priest like that!"

⁵Paul acted surprised. "How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn't act like a Chief Priest. You're right, the Scripture does say, 'Don't speak abusively to a ruler of the people.' Sorry."

⁶Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: "Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It's because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I've been hauled into this court."

^7-9The moment he said this, the council split right down the middle, Pharisees and Sadducees going at each other in heated argument. Sadducees have nothing to do with a resurrection or angels or even a spirit. If they can't see it, they don't believe it. Pharisees believe it all. And so a huge and noisy quarrel broke out. Then some of the religion scholars on the Pharisee side shouted down the others: "We don't find anything wrong with this man! And what if a spirit has spoken to him? Or maybe an angel? What if it turns out we're fighting against God?"

¹⁰That was fuel on the fire. The quarrel flamed up and became so violent the captain was afraid they would tear Paul apart, limb from limb. He ordered the soldiers to get him out of there and escort him back to the safety of the barracks. ¹¹That night the Master appeared to Paul: "It's going to be all right. Everything is going to turn out for the best. You've been a good witness for me here in Jerusalem. Now you're going to be my witness in Rome!"

(Acts 22:30-23:11, The Message)

Something To Think About - Sackcloth Under a Purple Robe

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

Charles Jackson
Mar 9, 2010

"When the King heard the woman's words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body." (II Kings 6:30)

The city of Samaria is shut up, under siege by Syria. Hunger is so bitter that the head of a donkey sells for 80 pieces of silver. In order to encourage the people, King Jehoram walked along the city wall. He wears the usual purple robe. But, he is accosted by a woman, ripping away the robe of fine linen, exposing the course brown rags of sackcloth. Sackcloth is a symbol of repentance.

How very interesting...sackcloth under fine purple linen. It tells us that the King is carrying invisible burdens...but no outside view. I don't know your name but I know this about you, life has given you a few yards of sackcloth...as to every person. Our cup may be cast with a different design but we all drink from the same well. We need to be attentive regarding who we envy. They may wear more sackcloth then we. The Tenth Commandment..."do not envy" is not there without reason. Who would have guessed the King wore sackcloth? I remember Augur's prayer, "Give me neither poverty nor riches...lest I be full and deny you...lest I be poor and steal."

There is much in every person we cannot know. If we saw the other man's sackcloth, sympathy would take the sharp edge off our tongue. The story is told of the Secretary of the American Bible Society traveling by train from New York to Pittsburgh. While dining, he asked the waiter 7 times for water, with no response. Later, the waiter told him of his 14 year old daughter who had recently been killed in a car accident and that two waiters had not reported for work that day.

The noblest thing in our heart is the thought of God that prompts kind behavior.

Charles is a retired but busy missionary and preacher of the Gospel. Charles and Mary live in various places (depending on the time of year) but are surrounded in love and respect by family and friends from all over the world. Charles is a mentor to and supporter of those associated with mission work at NSCofC. Charles likes to tell stories just like Jesus liked to tell stories. We reprint with permission.

Mon Mar 8 - He Would Not Be DissuadedActs 21:1-36

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

^1-4 And so, with the tearful good-byes behind us, we were on our way. We made a straight run to Cos, the next day reached Rhodes, and then Patara. There we found a ship going direct to Phoenicia, got on board, and set sail. Cyprus came into view on our left, but was soon out of sight as we kept on course for Syria, and eventually docked in the port of Tyre. While the cargo was being unloaded, we looked up the local disciples and stayed with them seven days. Their message to Paul, from insight given by the Spirit, was "Don't go to Jerusalem."

^5-6When our time was up, they escorted us out of the city to the docks. Everyone came along—men, women, children. They made a farewell party of the occasion! We all kneeled together on the beach and prayed. Then, after another round of saying good-bye, we climbed on board the ship while they drifted back to their homes.

^7-9A short run from Tyre to Ptolemais completed the voyage. We greeted our Christian friends there and stayed with them a day. In the morning we went on to Caesarea and stayed with Philip the Evangelist, one of "the Seven." Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

^10-11After several days of visiting, a prophet from Judea by the name of Agabus came down to see us. He went right up to Paul, took Paul's belt, and, in a dramatic gesture, tied himself up, hands and feet. He said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: The Jews in Jerusalem are going to tie up the man who owns this belt just like this and hand him over to godless unbelievers."

^12-13When we heard that, we and everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. But Paul wouldn't budge: "Why all this hysteria? Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me? You're looking at this backward. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can't you see that?"

¹⁴We saw that we weren't making even a dent in his resolve, and gave up. "It's in God's hands now," we said. "Master, you handle it."

^15-16It wasn't long before we had our luggage together and were on our way to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and took us to the home of Mnason, who received us warmly as his guests. A native of Cyprus, he had been among the earliest disciples. ^17-19In Jerusalem, our friends, glad to see us, received us with open arms. The first thing next morning, we took Paul to see James. All the church leaders were there. After a time of greeting and small talk, Paul told the story, detail by detail, of what God had done among the non-Jewish people through his ministry. They listened with delight and gave God the glory.

^20-21They had a story to tell, too: "And just look at what's been happening here—thousands upon thousands of God-fearing Jews have become believers in Jesus! But there's also a problem because they are more zealous than ever in observing the laws of Moses. They've been told that you advise believing Jews who live surrounded by unbelieving outsiders to go light on Moses, telling them that they don't need to circumcise their children or keep up the old traditions. This isn't sitting at all well with them.

^22-24"We're worried about what will happen when they discover you're in town. There's bound to be trouble. So here is what we want you to do: There are four men from our company who have taken a vow involving ritual purification, but have no money to pay the expenses. Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses. Then it will become obvious to everyone that there is nothing to the rumors going around about you and that you are in fact scrupulous in your reverence for the laws of Moses.

²⁵"In asking you to do this, we're not going back on our agreement regarding non-Jews who have become believers. We continue to hold fast to what we wrote in that letter, namely, to be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; to avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians; to guard the morality of sex and marriage."

²⁶So Paul did it—took the men, joined them in their vows, and paid their way. The next day he went to the Temple to make it official and stay there until the proper sacrifices had been offered and completed for each of them. ^27-29When the seven days of their purification were nearly up, some Jews from around Ephesus spotted him in the Temple. At once they turned the place upside-down. They grabbed Paul and started yelling at the top of their lungs, "Help! You Israelites, help! This is the man who is going all over the world telling lies against us and our religion and this place. He's even brought Greeks in here and defiled this holy place." (What had happened was that they had seen Paul and Trophimus, the Ephesian Greek, walking together in the city and had just assumed that he had also taken him to the Temple and shown him around.)

³⁰Soon the whole city was in an uproar, people running from everywhere to the Temple to get in on the action. They grabbed Paul, dragged him outside, and locked the Temple gates so he couldn't get back in and gain sanctuary.

(Acts 21:1-36, The Message)

Focus On the Cross - Compelled by Love

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:58:07 PST

Image from our Mar 7 Sunday worship assembly. Come be with us.

Sun Mar 7 - Compelled By LoveII Corinthians 5:14

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:54:53 PST

^14-15 Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

(2 Corinthians 5:14, The Message)

- - - - - - - - - -

What makes a person zealous? What makes a man or woman so devoted, so unreservedly enthusiastic to an individual, a movement or an ideal that he is willing to bear humiliation, torment, starvation, torture and even death.

For many of us, before we may answer the question we first need to understand the difference between two varying words: zealous and obsessed. For many the line between them are blurred but in truth they are significantly different. Both represent deep commitment; however, the similarities end here. The first, zealous, in grounded in the reality of what is while obsession is grounded in what may be. In other words, the former is grounded in assurance while the later is grounded in fear of what may never come to pass. It is this fear that prevents us from being a willing participant of the reality that is, into a controlling agent, manipulating what or whom we have no control over.

No one can doubt Paul's commitment to God both before or after his conversion; however, it was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19) where Paul made the not so subtle transition from obsessed Jew to zealot Christian. Where Paul, through Christ, transformed from fear to love; from control agent of men and God to willing partner in the Gospel of Grace. Over the next few weeks we invite you to join us as we enter into the transformational process of the Apostle Paul through the accounts of the book of Acts and 2 Corinthians. In doing so, we pray that you too will move beyond simple commitment to Christ and become a willing participant, Compelled by Love, in the Gospel of Jesus—a zealot for the Kingdom.

To help each of us prepare for Easter, we have partnered with some of the churches in the area to create a small booklet filled with daily scripture readings. These readings are designed to help us move through the Lent season to the glory and excitement that is Easter. These books are available in the lobby of the auditorium—please help yourself to one.

My prayer for us is that we as a church will truly look at Paul's life and glean from his experience of what it is to be Compelled by Love, Convinced by Truth, Changed by Christ and Called to Share.

May God bless our efforts as we seek His face and His will this season!

John

- - - - - - - - - -

Egypt

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

Sat Mar 6 - Be Reconciled to GodII Corinthians 5:16-6:2

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:50:53 PST

^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

²¹How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God. ^1-10Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don't squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us. God reminds us,
I heard your call in the nick of time;
The day you needed me, I was there to help.

Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated—or not—in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

(2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2, The Message)

Fri Mar 5 - Treasure in Jars of ClayII Corinthians 4:1-12

webmeister@nscofc.org (North Stafford Church of Christ) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:51:17 PST

^1-2Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God.

^3-4If our Message is obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding back in any way. No, it's because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won't have to bother believing a Truth they can't see. They're stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll ever get.

^5-6Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

^7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!

(2 Corinthians 4:1-12, The Message)