Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Sometimes God's grace spills over to the people around us; to those who "sail with us." Today we follow Paul as grace pours out to the 276 people who are on his ship.  Let's think today who we'd humbly ask the Lord to spill grace upon.  Think about the people who sail this life with us. There are relatives of the previous generation; current generation spouse, brothers and...

Today we pause to consider the implications of a line from Paul, "...of the God to whole I belong." If this is remotely true, the implications are epically comprehensive.  I belong to God so I need to be a good steward of my body I belong to God so I need to master my appetites I belong to God so I should have a tongue that reflects that I belong to God so I should love His church and lo...

God sends an angel. "Meh". There is a God to whom I BELONG.  "well, now we are talking!" I don't mean any disrespect to this particular angel, but in the big scheme of things, I am relatively Unimpressed with this angel.  What I am very very very impressed by is that there is a God out there who considers me as  Belonging to Him. He considers me family. I am under His care...

Paul is under real orders to get to Rome.  Easier said than done if you ask the soldiers and sailors that are tasked with the job.  The Mediterranean Sea, though known as a vacation paradise, can turn quite nasty.  In fact, the sailors seem to have more than a healthy respect for her strength, they sound more like terrified. A technique they use is to " sail under the lee " of some prote...

This podcast started by accident.  It was originally an internal "family message" to my local, real, spiritual family. It started the first day of the pandemic to keep us on the same spiritual page during difficult times.  We now enter year 3 of that journey. I realize the boldness of asking to share in your spiritual mornings.  I receive that valuable piece of 7-minute real estate with...

When I get in front of a KING, I plan to speak BOLDLY.  Paul, I'll bet, thought that 25 years prior to his first chance. How about a grocery store clerk, a family member, or a doctor? How will I speak when I have the chance? Will I be faithful to the charge? Let's decide now. Paul is faithful to his witness to King Agrippa and Procurator Festus.  Let's see how they respond to the gr...

Listeners of this podcast will find themselves living in broken bodies, with broken hearts, in a broken world, with broken churches, and in broken relationships.  Otherwise, you are not human.  Fortunately we have the HELP THAT COMES FROM GOD.   This help is now.  We are not going to need any help when we get to heaven. Help has a NAME.  Of note, the promised Holy Spirit was  specifically to be na...

We all desperately need "The help that comes from God." You don't know anybody that doesn't need it: World leaders, mothers, bosses at work, children, knuckleheads, husbands or podcasters.  We need it in the big challenges we face.  Maybe it is a sickness, a broken heart, a relationship at odds, an addiction, choices at work, or perhaps problems with your church family. There i...

You can start your spiritual story with, "I was stupid..." but don't end it there.  That would be like kicking against a big stick with a very sharp metallic end in your sandaled feet. Paul tells King Agrippa some very embarrassing tidbits in his coming to faith. How about this one: Jesus appeared to me, and spoke to me, and I DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM.  I had to ask who He was. Teachin...

It is important for Paul, at least in his earlier life, to win the war of IDEAS against the newly believing Christians.  He wants to change their MINDS and their MOUTHS.  That is, Paul wants the persecuted Christians to BLASPHEME. It means to speak inaccurately about the sacred; to speak irreverently, disrespectfully and inappropriately about the Lord.  This is so important to the previous Paul, t...

Everybody, whether you are a king of the world, or just the king of yourself, hears about Jesus amidst real life.  There will be friends, enemies, politics, appetites, power, and problems.  Today we see how a guy investigates the claims of Christ.  Here are some tips, if today finds YOU trying to Understand your MOMENT of exposure: 1. Don't delay. You have been given today for a reason. 2. Pu...

Speaking spiritually, because all fall short, nobody really wants justice. When you are before political operators who are at the hands of a corrupt justice system, it gets complicated.  Paul finally gets his trial before the Roman Procurator Festus in a timely manner.  He ends up in an appeal to Caesar...who is the infamous NERO.  When we consider the spiritual charges against us, we too should h...

If you come to Jesus, likely your life will be a mess.  You will be overcome by your appetites before you are overcome with yielding, forgiveness, repenting, and grace.  That is the point. That is why you need a rescue mission from heaven. Today we hear of a guy who has every opportunity.  I think he gets the great spiritual step given to him of CONVICTION.  He calls it ALARM.  I think they are th...

Perhaps you have noticed, but to forgive is DIFFICULT. It is painful to change history and make offenses go away. They leave at a great price. Paul says he has to TAKE PAINS to get to the forgiven place of a clear conscience. It requires commitment to practice this principle to the limit.  It requires guts and maybe even blood to apply this theory to some flesh. It is difficult to do this regardin...

Everybody gets resurrected from the dead. everybody. The just and the unjust. Attila the Hun? resurrected. Abraham Lincoln? Resurrected. Marilyn Monroe? Resurrected. etc. There is only one problem: from God's super-pure perspective, there are no just people. Here is where it gets good. UNLESS, Jesus' "justness" covers us.  That is, we can ride His coattails of righteousness.  W...

Today we meet FELIX who apparently was mastered BY his appetites rather than master OF his appetites.  Paul gives him a personal audience of preaching, and then another personal audience, and then another...FOR TWO YEARS. Luke tells us what Paul talks about: Jesus, faith, judgement, righteousness and SELF-CONTROL. Being "master of what one wants." Being able to "say NO to one's...

Who knew? Paul had a sister.  Paul had a nephew.  He was young.  He was young enough that a big scary adult took him by the hand when moving to a private place.  He is the HERO of our story.  The kid carries the day and saves Uncle Paul's life by his bravery. So much is entrusted to the young in the book of Acts. This is the young kid that Paul probably missed every birthday of his life.  Pau...

Paul is charged with a PURPOSE (testify about Jesus) amidst a PROMISE (that afflictions and trouble are here and ahead) so use your POWER (your agency, energy, life, money, giftedness, authority) while enjoying the PERSON(of Jesus, who stands with, indwells, makes His home with you) I know many of you listening are facing a great battle.  For some it is relational, for others health, sickness, fee...

If you order the flogging of a Roman Citizen you'd probably lose your job and possibly your life.(Claudius Lysias) If you got flogged, you may lose your life, for it was often fatal. (Paul) It was so nasty that no Roman Citizen by law ever received it. Even putting a Roman in chains without trial wasn't allowed. Paul is "STRETCHED OUT FOR THE WHIPS".  The position is known that...

Paul runs into a crowd of ZEALOUS people.  They were so ZEALOUS, they were beating him to death.  A Few hundred Roman Soldiers intervene. Paul then begins to BEND their ZEAL toward the REVEAL of God.  That is, he begins to show them more accurately what they should be so enthusiastic about.  He starts to tell them the story of Jesus.  Like most good gospel witnesses, he begins with HIMSELF. Paul r...

Paul still has a green light to go into the Temple 20+years after coming to Christ. He still feels the burden to bring the gospel to the gentiles AND the children of Israel.  When he does so in Jerusalem, he causes a riot. The Roman Tribune, who is commander of 1000 soldiers wants no part of a riot in the city he's tasked with keeping quiet and arrests Paul. I think the similarities of Christ...

I could be wrong about today.  I state my conclusions humbly. We drop into a moment of church history where the specific issues of joining Gentiles and Jews into the new Body of Christ were being played out.   Can I still dedicate myself in a special way; set myself apart for prayer; declare a fast; do some physical discipline to remind me to seek God; Support others as they do similar things; may...

4 guys are in the middle of a vow to the Lord that is lengthy, expensive, complicated, and confusing.  They are wrestling with the big question of "What will you do about your SIN?" Less so, what is our relationship with the charges of the Old Testament, especially if we are of the Jewish people?  New school: It is all about Jesus. Once. For All. For all time.  Old school: substitutionar...

Paul gets a HEART ATTACK not from clotted arteries, but from an emotional appeal from everybody around him.  They are begging him NOT to go to Jerusalem because suffering, capture and other unpalatable things are likely ahead.  The SPIRIT seems to have told everybody that trouble is ahead.  Their interpretation of "trouble ahead" = DON'T GO dear Paul.  This is wrong. Sometimes the s...

Paul is landing the 3rd Missionary journey into a HOT LANDING ZONE (LZ). The Spirit has been notifying just about everybody and their brother that this is so.  Paul knows. The Tyre people know. The prophets know. The prophet from Jerusalem knows. The Spirit, our STAR OF the book of ACTS, has been making it clear.   Paul is all set for the difficulties ahead.  He is resolved in his spirit, with the...