David Bahn - Reflections

Paul's martyrdom was a reflection of another. Jesus did not defend himself when he was accused before Pilate. Paul's death was testimony to the power of Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus knew he would lay down his life as the once and for all sacrifice for the sins of the world. He also knew he would take his life up again. And so he did. When Paul encountered the resurrected Jesus...

The thin blue line - the concept that the police are the line between law-and-order and chaos in society - is important to the safety of law-abiding citizens.  I want to suggest that there is also a thin purple line. Purple is the color of royalty. I don't want to equate government with royalty, but I believe that a thin purple line is also vital for the  peaceful and orderly functioning of so...

We need never speculate as to God's good will toward us. It is all good. Anchored in Jesus' death and resurrection. To be fully realized in the life of the world to come. We might try to imagine what that will look like, how it will be. But we need never speculate as to whether God wants us to experience the fullness of his goodness, grace, and love. 

The devil is not the only one relentlessly pursuing us. God is too. In the words of the song,  Wreckless Love, There's no shadow You won't light up Mountain You won't climb up Coming after me There's no wall You won't kick down Lie You won't tear down Coming after me Reckless Love Cory Asbury https://youtu.be/Sc6SSHuZvQE?si=_T5PGgupoUhwJoMv

The most convenient time for us to yield to God's call, repent of our sins, and trust in God is now. Today. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the time of salvation. Now is the time to listen when God is speaking to us. For his words are grace and truth. Life and salvation are found in faith in his words. Now.

What if you never had to defend your actions, justify your words, or prove we are right in our beliefs? What if the pressure is off. We will be publically vindicated on the Great Last Day for our faith in Jesus. Every time we've been ridiculed, suffered for righteousness sake, sacrificed for the benefit of another, and gone the extra mile for love's sake, we will be shown to be right. Good...

By faith we will stand on the Great Last Day. By faith we resist temptation and exercise self-control, knowing that such exercise is far better for us here and now and in The End. By faith we look again and again to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame and now sits at the right hand of God.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what it means to believe in Jesus. The fullness of faith involves constant repentance and a commitment to love God above all and our neighbor as ourselves. It’s a challenging battle, and sometimes we will fail. But our faith in Jesus will call us back to it daily. Whenever the final judgment comes, we can stand on his promises of life and salvation. That’s where I’m s...

We all need to hear about “righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment.” For those who believe in Jesus, he is our righteousness. For those who struggle with self-control and fear the judgment, it is far better that we not send God’s messengers away. Listen carefully to what they say, and come to Jesus Christ and hold to faith in him. No matter how the world turns, he will never send yo...

Jesus has won the victory over sin, death, and the devil. We’re just waiting to get back home to celebrate the victory together. But wait we must. Not all is well here on this earth. Whether it’s air conditioners having to be replaced, or car trouble in rush hour traffic, illness, financial ruin, or job loss, we are constantly reminded that we live in a broken world. This makes hope all the more p...

Grace and truth are beautiful together. One without the other can be a sham of justice, or a hopeless search for self-justification. When we face the truth of our brokenness and sin, and turn to the grace of Jesus’ mercy, love, and forgiveness, we can have a truly clear conscience. We will then surely want to live in such a way that we honor God’s grace and truth, and serve our neighbor in love.

When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Did Paul need to pray that prayer? Is it true that, "we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment?" Such was the conviction of Martin Luther. Paul would write of himself, "O wretched man that I am..." (Romans 7:24). Yet Paul says that...

There’s form and then there’s substance. Think of a beautifully-wrapped gift box that contains garbage. Form: Good. Substance: Stinky! Or the other way: treasures wrapped in dirty clothes buried deep in a banged-up suitcase. Good stuff. Garbage in a garbage bag: No surprise here, but still stinky. It’s best when form and substance align.  Paul will offer a substantive defense. He will anchor it in...

You know you've gotten to someone when they resort to false-charges, and big guns. Paul has done this - just as Jesus did. But he's not afraid of big guns. He fears God, loves and trusts in him. Such a faith will stand strong against an arsenal of false threats. We're seldom called upon to face such threats. But if we ever are, may we make a good defense - just as we will soon hear fro...

It's good to recall that our paths are known to God - especially when they are long and winding. But it's vitally important that we remember our ultimate destination whenever our paths are beautifully scenic. For those paths can distract us from our ultimate goal. We can easily forget that the beauty of this world is but a pale reflection of the ultimate glory of the new heavens and the ne...

Who are these people? And why are they trying to help me? They are servants of the Most High God. They are trying to help me stay true and faithful, and aware of God’s goodness and love. Those the same kinds of people were helping Paul and keeping him pointed toward God and speeding him along on his missionary journeys - even though they had no clue they were doing so.

We may be small and weak in the face of the might and impressive glory of the ways of the world. Evil can look insurmountable. We all have our giants we must face. But God's arm is not too weak to protect us and defeat our enemies. Sometimes it's an overwhelming show of power as allies line up with us. Other times God simply lets evil collapse under its own weight. But one thing's for...

I doubt I'll ever be put in prison because of my Christian witness. But I may face challenges and situations where my faith is put to the test, and my hope in Jesus becomes ever more pure. Whenever such things happen, we can thank God that he is faithful, gracious, and mercifully present.

Paul’s nephew did some heroic things. That set in motion a visit by Paul to Rome. Who knows what little things - heroic or not - might have a great impact in the kingdom of God? After all the most heroic thing ever to have occurred in God’s kingdom started when a young maiden said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be to me as you have said.”

God himself made a vow. It is called in the Bible, a covenant. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34). God kept his vow by sending Jesus to...

Paul will be saved from these forty men. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were saved. We too have been saved by the mighty hand of God - nailed to a cross, dead in our place, risen from the grave, and returning at the end of days to claim us as his own. Forty, forty thousand, or forty trillion notwithstanding, God's got us in his heart, and providential care. That's far more powerful than a...

High above all these people, events, schemes, and conversations is the upper story of God's grace, truth, purpose, and plan. Paul will safely go to Rome. Jesus has indicated that to him ( Acts 23:11 ). This episode is a part of that greater story. But there is an even greater arc that reaches even beyond us today. We read about this. It edifies us. It encourages us. It may even challenge us. B...

Perhaps I'm jaded: some of the political trickery and strong arming within the church is not just distasteful, it offends me. It's bad enough that the Jews sought to kill Paul. It is unseemly that Christians fight anyone in the name of Jesus. It is unthinkable that I would ever resort to strongarm tactics to win the day. That may be because I am well past my physical prime. But it is surel...

Our mission may not be as momentous as Joshua's or as critical as Paul's. But our calling is every bit as important. We must sometimes take courage in big or small mission efforts. We can do so - assured of Jesus' presence, strength, and promise - whether we appropriate God's promise to Joshua or Jesus' promise to us all:  I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Thank God we can cling to the hope of the resurrection and rejoice in the Holy Spirit's presence and blessings in our lives - and look toward the day when all God's holy angels will gather us into the eternal bliss of the life of the world to come.