Author: missionspaul

Trigger points

Acts 22:22 “The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!’”

Let us remind ourselves that the reason why Paul has to defend himself is that he had been accused of taking a Gentile into the Temple. He hadn’t but the crowd believed so.

Until he said the one word the crowd gave him their attention.

The word was of course, “Gentiles”. He was called to the Gentiles! That was the proof they needed, right from his mouth, he had taken a Gentile into the Temple. Now Paul should die!

All quiet, listening, taking in what Paul was saying, the soldiers maybe thinking at last now we have some calm and then … fireworks and frenzy. Paul had touched the raw nerve, the soft spot, their trigger spot.

A trigger spot cannot be seen, it is under the skin. The term ‘trigger point’ was first coined by the America Physician Janet G. Travell.

Trigger points or tender spots are located within or below the skin and when compressed they will usually become more tender or painful, they’re also often associated with areas of pain and discomfort adjacent to or distant from the tender spot. These referred feelings can include a wide range of wonderfully strange sensations from a heavy or dull aching to searing hot pain, pins and needles or numbness to name a few.

In the same way we have trigger points emotionally and mentally as well as physically. For the Jew, their trigger spot were the Gentiles. If you mention any kind of love or compassion to the Gentiles it was likely to get a painful reaction or as in the case of Paul, a reaction to inflict pain on him!

What are your trigger points?

When a name is mentioned do you react?

If so, then you need help.

The treatment for trigger points varies between pressing on the pain firmly for prolonged periods of time to not doing so and focusing more on the nervous system away from the pain applying positive feelings into the body. Basically you go through pain or positive influence in order to remove the painful trigger spot.

My friend, David, had a saying, “Touchy people need touching” meaning those who are always reacting need to be provoked.

If you have such spots then you need to face the pain that is in your own life or you need positive influence coming in to your life that will overwhelm the hidden pain.

But we must be free of these trigger points. We must stop reacting when a name is mentioned. We must walk free from carrying prisoners and the past. Love must occupy and own our hearts.

The surprising GO!

Acts 22: 21 “Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”’

In verse 18 God had told Paul “Quick, leave ..”

Paul then describes how he put things on hold trying to convince God that he would be okay in Jerusalem because he was one with the Jews. He had been part of their persecution of the Christians even there partaking at the death of Stephen.

God doesn’t need convincing.

He is always right.

“Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles”

Can you hear the GO again today?

Yes it may be surprising what is opening up to you. The thought of going to the Gentiles wasn’t an obvious one for Paul. But the GO won’t go away. You know you have to do this. It is a choice but it isn’t a choice. If he remains Lord of your life you have to go.

God is shifting Pauls thinking.

When we say YES to God we have to leave and that is where it can be very slow though God wants us to move fast, presumably because He knows the attachments we have can make it so difficult to say goodbye. But when we say YES we also know there is no other way, we have to be sent by HIM and we have to GO forward. Sometimes we don’t have all the details sorted out. We just know it is far away and to another people group, the Gentiles.

Maybe someone today is hearing GO. A change of direction, a new day is on the horizon, you are going to have to GO.

And maybe it is nothing as dramatic as that of Paul. Maybe it is simply leaving your comfort zone to take the gospel to your neighbour. But it is such a big task you might as well be going to the furthest parts of the world.

The sustaining key to your future is knowing that this is not your idea or you are not going because of a career opportunity or promotion. No, you are going because GOD is sending you. When it gets tough, when you have second thoughts, you will be able to counter these because you know He who called you has sent you.

GO!

 

The hidden sin of blasphemy

Acts 22: 20 “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.”

Those taking away the life of Stephen were worried their clothes would be taken away by some thief.
So here we have 2 sins being potentially committed, that of murder and stealing, but only one of them is seen as justifiable and only one is being protected against.
Saul protected the clothes and by doing so endorses the killing of Stephen. This was not murder in their eyes. This was a killing, God’s judgment.
But if their clothes were taken then that would be stealing so they protected against this.
Presumably stealing clothes is worse than killing especially if they are the clothes of those handing out Gods judgment.
Thinking you are an agent of God’s judgment in any culture always outweighs everything else. How easy it is for us to focus on the sins of others especially when they could or do hurt us but at the same time lose sight of the blindingly obvious sins we commit against others. When that happens we misrepresent God, something akin to blasphemy.
This is the hidden sin that bypasses most but is mainly found in God defenders not God rejecters.
You see blasphemy is not taking God’s name in vain as much as using Gods name for gain.
It’s the sins that don’t appear sinful that bring the fall.

Remembrance: The shared life can be a death to us.

Acts 22:19 ‘“Lord,” I replied, “these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.”

The Lord wants Paul to leave Jerusalem quickly because He knows the Jews will not accept the gospel. He wants Paul to go to the Gentiles. Paul objects.

Today is remembrance Sunday here in the UK and the Commonwealth nations. Services are held to commemorate those who died in the 2 World Wars and subsequent conflicts. There will be thousands and thousands standing together in memory of those who shoulder to shoulder died for their country: together on the battle field, together in the grave and together at the cenotaphs. It will be once again a moving show of unity.

Paul’s objection is based on a similar expected show of unity. He had been one with these people. He had been on their team, alongside them, in fact leading the way in destroying the followers of Jesus. He had shared the cause. Even though he now knows how wrong he was, Paul thinks that this shared past experience will be enough for him to convince them of the truth. He is obviously wrong.

A shared experience does not mean you will walk together forever.

When my parents left a church organisation that our family had been in for many years we were rejected by many, even from members of our family. I watched as a teenager how they went through those difficult years of being isolated and talked about by those they had shared life with only weeks previously. They did it with dignity.

A shared experience can build formidable barriers to anything new.

Don’t be surprised if longstanding friends reject you because you have found something new worth living and dying for.

Christ above all else.

 

Move fast!

Acts 22: 18 “I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. “Quick!” he said. “Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.”

Paul is recollecting when after 3 years he returns to the temple a changed man in order to pray and when he is there he falls into a visionary trance and has another encounter with Christ.

The Lord has urgency in His voice. There are times when God wants us to stay and even to lay our lives down. There are times when He wants us out of danger because He wants to use us for His higher purpose. For Paul it would be to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

I love this word. Quick!

Today I am taking a day off. I am relaxing, going slow. It will satisfy not only me but my advisors who warn me against living in the fast-lane!

But at last I have a word from God that I can use against them: Quick! Speed up! I joke!

But it is interesting that this is actually in God’s spoken vocabulary. He does want us to move quickly at times:

• Solve matters with broken friendships quickly (Matthew 5:25)
• If He tells you to Go with the gospel then Go quickly (Matthew 28:7)
• In these end times quickly reach the poor and the marginalised (Luke 14:21)
• Embrace the prodigals quickly before the accusers get to them (Luke 15:22)
• Be gracious and merciful quickly so you have no time to change your mind (Luke 16:6)
• When the Lord calls you then respond quickly (John 11:29)
• If God opens doors that were shut then get up quickly and move through them (Acts 12:7)

Maybe today you are not going to have a slow day like me but a day when things speed up because you move and respond quickly.

God-speed!

Sacred cows

Acts 22:17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance”

Paul recollects how he returns to Jerusalem after 3 years of being in Damascus and Arabia.

He had left Jerusalem with a murderous heart towards the Jesus followers.

He now returns a changed man.

Praying in the temple was not unusual for him. He did this before his transformation.

Transformation did not remove custom but it enhanced it. He obviously now knew he could pray anywhere. If he could talk to Jesus on a Damascus road then he knew he did not need to be in a building to do so. But he did not cut ties with the traditional custom of the Temple and what it stood for.

Sometimes in the pursuit of the modern we rubbish the ancient and then we lose the much needed narrative that will guide, shape and hold us in our new season.

Sometimes we shouldn’t remove the ‘sacred cow’ (for my international friends a ‘sacred cow’ is a western euphemism for a custom that is above criticism or change). Sacred cows have been removed in my lifetime and I am not sure we have gained anything by doing so:

The Sunday evening gospel service has been removed from the diary.

The Pastor visiting member’s homes now makes appointments for meetings in his office.

We used to dress up for church, now we dress down and dress up for work.

I shall stop before I offend and I am actually in favour of some of the much needed changes.

So back to the point, Paul returned to the temple to pray. It is the custom, the central point for the Jew, the untouchable. Paul didn’t need to but he did.

However, something new happened within the ancient place. Paul whilst praying in the temple had a visionary trance. Now that is new for the temple!

Do you see? I think this is the important key. This unlocks revelation to us.

The ancient isn’t in need of the modern. The modern doesn’t need to pull away.

The ancient is in need of the supernatural.

The Temple was experiencing a visionary trance. This was a move of God just like Isaiah had so many generations before.

‘Sacred cows’ do not necessarily need killing or holding with high honour, they just need the touch of God, the divine encounter of His supernatural presence.

For Paul, it came during prayer.

The prayer meeting is having a revival of its own in many churches. It was a sacred cow, but it was killed in favour of something else or was starved to death because there was no purpose. I remember visiting a church to preach and attended the before-service prayer meeting where the attendance was just 1 member! But I notice prayer meetings are on the rise in churches. It is an ancient ritual but maybe the Church is getting ready for heavenly visions. I hope so.

Let the sacred cows receive the breath of God on them. Let the ancient ways be revisited by the Ancient of Days. We change but our custom can and maybe at times should remain.

Why wait?

Acts 22:16   “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

Paul was told he had been chosen and he was told what God had purposed for his life. Then comes the exciting question: what are you waiting for?

We have a picture of Paul just standing there waiting for some further instructions or more revelation, waiting for Ananias to tell him something else that he needed to know. He was waiting. Why?

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24: 5-6)

“Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

Maybe today you are found waiting. You think you are waiting for God to move but perhaps He is waiting for you to move?

It is so much easier to stay in bed and wait for destiny to knock at your door than it is to get up and do what you can do.

Without losing wisdom and being able to understand the times we live in, we must seize the opportunity of the moment. Cautiousness can be the plague of the Church. Deliberation can debilitate.  Behind me as I write this blog are shelves of books. They are the books of my life, various tools that have helped me in my journey, some that I purchased over 30 years ago. When I enter my office these books shout at me trying to get my attention. Amongst all the voices wanting to pull me back to a certain genre, there is one shouting the loudest. This is the voice that shouts from even the titles of the books and it is akin to the question today, “What are you waiting for?” You see these books were bought and read during chapters of my life when I was running the race fast, pursuing God eagerly, high expectations, huge faith, a passion to go, see and do. As I enter the last third of my working life, what will the next 15 years hold for me? More importantly how will I run the race?

My son will come home for Christmas and we are going to play squash, a sport that I really love to play. He is better at it than me, though there was a time when that was not the case. He is faster and has more energy. These days I have to use wisdom more than force, I have to play skilfully. But one thing will never change, though I might tire easier, when I go onto the court I am as determined and as passionate to win as I have ever been.

What are you waiting for?

I am not going to live my life in fear of what might happen. I will not back down or slow down in my mind or wait for everything to be perfect. The time I have on this earth is less than I had when I started collecting books and playing squash. I will pursue, move, think, speak, dream and act with the same passion that I have ever had. I am not going to slow down because people cannot keep up. I am going out onto the court of life to win. That is my commitment. I don’t care what it looks like. It might be like my second marathon when the last 3 miles I ran to the finishing line incredibly fast but for those who were watching me it looked like I was walking. However, I will know that inside I was determined, I was passionate and I gave my all for Jesus.

And now what are you waiting for? Nothing …. Here I come!

 

A witness

Acts 12: 15 “You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.”

It is a joy, privilege but equally a huge challenge to be ‘his witness’.

Paul belonged to God. His witness. Why God chose someone so unqualified for this task we cannot fathom other than if we look in the mirror ourselves! God chooses transformed broken and sinful people who are totally reliant on His grace to confuse and even offend the masses.

Paul represented God and in this context more importantly, Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament God chose prophets, priests and kings to represent Him. Then God came in the form of a man, the Son of Man and witnessed to the world who He was. Jesus said to the apostles what He said to Paul, “you will be my witnesses” and now for the best bit …. He has chosen you and me to witness for Him.

The word witness is so much more than speaking. It is living your life so that God can be seen and for the apostles, for Paul and for many in the world today it is being prepared to die for what you have seen and heard.

May you enter today with a willing heart to live for Christ and witness for Him and a readiness to even surrender and die during that witness.

 

 

 

 

 

Building bridges

Acts 22:14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.”

Paul is defending himself and says Annanias, a devout Jew, told him it was the God of our fathers who chose him. Again Paul is trying to build bridges with the crowd. ‘Our fathers’ meaning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What a great lesson Paul is giving us. Let us always try to find ways to build bridges first.

Let’s not major on what divides but what unites us.

When speaking to Jews or Muslims let’s not isolate or antagonise them, but let us build bridges. We can similarly say, “The God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ….” that’s what we share together. Of course Jesus is what separates us from them and them from a personal relationship with God, but He is still their God.

But this can be applied to anyone and everyone. Find what brings you closer not what tears you apart.

In your marriage, what do we share? Not what we disagree with?

In your church, focus on the history you have had there before leaving because you see no future.

We will never have a 100% success rate and some won’t want to walk over the bridge and you may have genuine justifiable reasons not to build one.

But in the main much can be accomplished by bridge building.

Stand by me

Acts 22:13 “He stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight!” And at that very moment I was able to see him.”

The focus is definitely on the fact that Saul received his sight back and it was Ananias who God used. However, I have not been able to move from the words, ‘He stood beside me’.

Maybe today like me you are thankful for those who stood beside you even for a season. They may not be here anymore but you remember with fondness when it just seemed like God sent them to you to stand beside you. Much was achieved as you were strengthened by their presence.

Luke only uses these words in his gospel when 2 angels stand beside the women outside the tomb, to announce Jesus was not there (24:4) and at the ascension when they stand beside the disciples and announce Jesus will return (Acts 1:10) and finally when an angel stood beside Paul in a dream and said he would survive the storm in order to stand trial before Caesar (Acts 27:23). On each of these occasions other than Ananias it was angels standing beside God’s people. The wording is Luke’s only, it is not used elsewhere.

Ananias stood beside Saul and did what the angels had done, he announced good news, ‘receive your sight’. Healing was coming from God and the announcement was also an instruction to receive this gift.

I pray today we will stand beside someone and that we will be able to announce good news to someone.