Danny Panter

Real Gospel

Re:Verse reading–Acts 23:11, 25:12, 28:16-31 (day six)

I have stood outside the small cathedral in Rome where Paul’s apartment has been enshrined. I have also been in his jail cell, and stood near the site he was martyred a few years after his initial house arrest. Church tradition tells us that Paul was released from house arrest, only to be arrested once again in Rome a year or two later and executed shortly thereafter.

Paul was a real man, who had a real encounter with Jesus, whose life was forever changed by the Gospel, who gave the rest of his life to spread the message of the Gospel to the known world at great cost to himself. He wasn’t a myth, a fabrication, or an exagerration. Paul was real because the Gospel is real; Jesus doesn’t leave people the same.

How has the real Gospel impacted you?

Know

Re:Verse reading–Acts 20:17-38 (day six)

“You yourselves know how I lived…”-Paul, Acts 20:18

Paul spent more time in Ephesus than any other city on his missionary journeys, all together almost three years. He knew these elders better than most; he was their father in the faith and mentor. They had likely planted churches together throughout the region, even experienced hardship together. So when he says, “You yourselves know how I lived,” it makes complete sense. Of all people he had invested in on his missionary journeys, the Ephesians knew him best; they knew what his life was all about.

This got me thinking about my own life. How would my wife or my kids describe my life? How about those I work with? Or the guys I train jiujitsu with during the week? Do they know how I live, or what matters most in my life? And if they did would it have anything to do with Jesus? Do I even have the kind of relationships that allow others to see beyond the surface, or is everything always “fine?” (That word is full of nondescript superficiality.)

Do the people I spend time with know me? Maybe the better questions is, does what they know about me really matter? I mean, really matter? Paul’s life mattered, and the Ephesians knew it.

Custom

Re:Verse reading–Acts 17:10-12, 16-34 (day six)

And Paul went in, as was his custom… Acts 17:2

A custom is “something that is done regularly by a person.” (Merriam-Webster) In Paul’s case he had gospel customs, or missionary customs; things he did regularly to introduce others to the person and work of Jesus. When he would come to a new city or town, he would always go to synagogue first (if the city had one) to teach his fellow Jews about Jesus. Only after spending time with his brethren would he then turn his attention to the gentiles in the city, searching for people of peace (those open and responsive to the Gospel) in the marketplace and “spiritual” places.

Certainly, there is much to learn from Paul’s customs, but will you first consider with me one thing? Right now, what are your Gospel customs? Do you have any? Should you? Should we as a church family? Sorry, that is way more than one thing, but it is well worth our while to consider such things.

Visions of Grandeur

Re:Verse reading–Acts 16:11-34 (day six)

A vision appeared to Paul during the night: A Macedonian man was standing there urging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” Acts 16:9

What we wouldn’t give for such clarity? God still is very much in the business of revealing himself in visions, but mostly in other parts of the world it seems. If only God would reveal to us our next steps through a vision, right? I think it is important to note God did not reveal Paul’s next steps in a vision till after he had made attempts to return to churches in Asia twice, each time the Holy Spirit prevented his return. It is important because it informs us that Paul was not waiting around for a vision. No, he was faithfully pursuing what he knew God had already called him to do, and only then God provided the vision.

Let me ask you, what if the reason we don’t experience supernatural visions from God is because we aren’t faithfully pursuing what He has already clearly revealed to us in the Bible? Or what if the reason we don’t experience visions is simply because it isn’t necessary when God already has supernaturally made His will known to us in His Word?

How about you? Are you faithfully obeying what God has already spoken? God is very much still in the business of revealing himself, even our next steps, they just happen to be supernaturally and conveniently written down in an incredible book that we all to often take for granted.

High Stakes

Re:Verse reading–Acts 15:1-29 (day six)

The stakes were incredibly high. For some Jewish believers it may had more to do with self-preservation than salvation (gentile believers would soon outnumber them). But for Paul the stakes couldn’t have been higher; the very salvation of humanity depended on the church elders in Jerusalem getting this decision right. For Paul it was simple, you cannot hold on to Jesus, if you are clinging to something else, i.e. circumcision or the Law. Telling gentiles that they must be circumcised in addition to believing in Jesus to be saved is like insisting someone carry an anvil while hoping to stay afloat wearing a life vest. The anvil is not meant to be a life saving device, nor the Law of Moses or wearing a nice tie on Sunday. This why Paul would declare to the Galatians, “If anyone teaches you a different Gospel than the one I taught you, let him be accursed.”

The stakes are still high. What obstacles are in the way of saving faith today? What kind of gospel do we articulate to those who are not like us? Maybe one of those obstacles is our silence.

Set Apart

Re:Verse reading–Acts 13:1-52 (day six)

Does the Holy Spirit still work this way? Prophets and teachers prayed, fasted, and then the Holy Spirit told them to set apart Barnabas and Paul for a particular task. It begs a lot of questions for us doesn’t it?

Is God’s call primarily a personal conviction first and affirmed by the greater Christian community second, or should it actually work the other way around?
When we pray are we even asking the right questions?
What of fasting to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit?
Are there Paul and Barnabas’ among us, and we simply aren’t listening? Or do we lack the filling of the Spirit?

I can say with certainty, the Holy Spirit hasn’t changed, we have. My conviction is that there are a few among the FBCSA that should be set apart to a particular task, but we may never know if we don’t start asking God to reveal to us who they are. Shouldn’t we pray together? Maybe even fast?

Becoming All Things to All People

Re:Verse reading–Acts 11:1-26 (day six)

The vision was God’s way of saying to Peter, “You are free to become all things to all people.” Paul would express the same truth later when writing to the Corinthians. For Paul missions was removing any and all unnecessary obstacles so that everyone could hear the Gospel. He would do whatever it took, even giving up dearly held and entrenched traditions if he had too. As he could, he would bend and yield to the traditions and customs of others (eat their food, speak their language, wear their clothes) so that he could tell the story of Jesus without any hindrance.

So, truly Peter’s vision was perhaps God’s first lesson on how to do missions; how to go about making disciples. With further reflection surely they must have realized that was precisely what Jesus had done. He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:6-7) Jesus is the best teacher.

What would it look like for us to put this lesson into practice in our communities? How about with the community immediately surrounding the church facility?

Repurposed

Re:Verse reading–Acts 9:1-22, 26-31 (day six)

We have all (if you are in Christ) been rescued from our Damascus road. Each had set our feet on a path in opposition to Jesus, just like Paul over 2000 years ago. And like Paul we had an encounter with Jesus that led to our change of heart and our rescue from a path that was leading to destruction.

Where are your feet now? Where do your steps lead? Here’s the thing, Jesus invites us (even commands) into a life filled with purposeful steps, not a life of meandering.

Do you feel like you are meandering in life? Jesus says, “that’s not what I have for you.”

Let’s learn to walk with purpose.

Stephen

Re:Verse reading–Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-58, 8:1-5, 26-38 (day six)

Did Stephen really have to die? It is such a tragedy. Young man, filled with the wisdom and Spirit of God. Doing great work, working wonders, preaching the Kingdom of God, and then what? Stoned. Gone.

What we soon discover is that Stephen’s stoning was only the beginning, others would follow, and many would be thrown in jail, but to what end? Suppression? Annihilation? No, the end result was firmly in the hands of a sovereign God. Stephen’s death would result in the furthering of God’s glory through the scattering of many believers who faithfully declared the good news wherever they went.

What they intended for evil, God intended for good. Genesis 50:20.

Extravagance

Re:Verse reading–Acts 4:5-31 (day five)

“…whom you crucified,” Acts 4:10

Peter does not mince words with his interrogators, or the two previous times he said the exact same thing. At first glance, this words would not appear to be the best of strategies. Peter’s aim is far more than to cast accurate blame, but rather to put on full display the extravagant love of Jesus. He contrasts their utter rejection of Jesus (which led to his death) against Jesus offer of forgiveness made possible through his death and resurrection. He wants them to feel the weight of this great extravagant work of love. He wants them to know that while they were Jesus’ enemies, he died for them and rose from the grave so they could know forgiveness and restoration. He wanted them to know just how good this news was.

The gospel is good news. Do we feel the weight of that? Do you?