Dear SanLo Community, an update for the week of January 15, 2012…
Thank you to Pastor Brian Tekawa for the message from Acts 16:11-40, “Second to None”. In Christ you are a first class citizen of the Kingdom of God, but have you ever been treated like a second class citizen? In God’s Kingdom you are a first class citizen because you know Jesus. In God’s Kingdom you are second to none. We need to constantly remind ourselves that God is in control, it is God who COUNSELS, it is God who CLEANSES, and it is God who CONVICTS His people, bringing them to the highest level of worth, children of God, the Father. So, how do you enter God’s kingdom?
As Paul enters the Roman colony of Phillipi, he looks to teach and preach in the synagogue. However, in Phillipi, the Jewish population was rather small. Possibly so few, there was no synagogue to teach in. So Paul and his companions approached a group of praying women who most likely were God-fearing and worshipped God but they did not yet know Jesus. Among this group of women was Lydia.
1) God COUNSELS: If you are a follower of Jesus, God the Wonderful Counselor offers you words of instruction that pierce the soul, reach your spirit, and open your heart. Lydia was from Thyatira, she was a seller of purple fabrics, a wealthy and influential non-Jewish woman. God counseled Lydia to respond or pay attention: “And the Lord opened her heart to pay attention” (Acts 16:14,15, 40). Followers of Christ have available the Wonderful Counselor available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. God opens the heart of people but does not force them to listen. Sometimes even followers of Christ need to be reminded that God desires for us to respond or pay attention to His voice. All of us have the potential to die spiritually if we are not careful. Our salvation is not lost but our relationship with God can be negatively impacted through neglect. Spending time alone with God in His Word and prayer are disciplines that should be incorporated into daily living for Christ, in order to experience God in deeper and meaningful ways. Attending church is also vital for your life with God. It just makes sense that involvement with like-minded people will encourage and teach you things about God you may not have otherwise discovered. Small groups is another great way to get to know one another and God on a more intimate level.
2) God CLEANSES: There is nothing God cannot cleanse from your soul. He can wipe away all your sin. Shameful deeds of the past are wiped clean by God through His Son Jesus. He did that with the slave girl, who was a non-Jewish woman with a spirit of divination, exploited by her masters who profited from her fortune-telling. She was cleansed by God from the spirit of divination, “In the name of Jesus Christ come out of her” (Acts 16:16-18). After the slave-girl is cleansed of the spirit of divination, Paul and his companions are imprisoned in the deepest and most secure place of the jail. While in prison Paul’s group continues to praise God and pray. God opens the shackles they were in and opens the jail doors. This terrifies the Roman guard for if he loses the prisoners it meant death for him.
3) God CONVICTS: God convicts those He loves and loves those He convicts. To be convicted by God means He wants you to get back on track. He convicts you because He does not want you to stray away from all that He has for you. The jailer was a loyal Roman guard who was commanded by the chief magistrates to personally guard Paul and Silas. About to kill himself for failure to secure a prisoner, Paul stops him and God convicts the jailer as he asks the question, “What must I do to be saved?” “Believe in the Lord Jesus!” (Acts 16:30-31) It is believed the jailer overheard the praises and prayers of Paul and was asking how to be saved from the judgment of God. God convicted the jailer through Paul’s message of Jesus which led to the salvation of the jailer and his whole household. The guardian of prisons was set free by Jesus, the Guardian of our souls. God convicts us of our need for Him but He is always the Spirit of Liberty.
God COUNSELED Lydia, He CLEANSED the slave-girl, and CONVICTED the jailer. GOD made them first class citizens in His Kingdom despite their socioeconomic status. Scholars believe these three were founding members of the church in Phillip whom Paul thought very highly of. God used these three to get the message of Jesus to Europe. Who knows where He will take you if you respond to His call?
Have a blessed week responding to His call,
Stan, for SLZJCC