Demon scream

Jesus went down to the city of Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people each Sabbath. They were amazed by his teaching because he delivered his message with authority. A man in the synagogue had the spirit of an unclean demon. He screamed, “Hey! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are. You are the holy one from God.” “Silence!” Jesus said, speaking harshly to the demon. “Come out of him!” The demon threw the man down before them, then came out of him without harming him. They were all shaken and said to each other, “What kind of word is this, that he can command unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave?” Reports about him spread everywhere in the surrounding region. (Luke 4:31-37, CEB)

Why did the demon scream? Yes they knew who Jesus was unlike those around them, but if the demon had been quiet, would Jesus have known they were there?

Jesus told them to be quiet and come out of the person, and when people saw this they were shaken and afraid and wondered at the power and authority.

What would you do if you saw this?

Would you be shaken, afraid? Would you run in fear? Would you question what had happened, or wonder about the one doing the casting out of the demon?

How would this impact your faith?

Loving People. Loving God.

Grace

Brothers and sisters, we want to let you know about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia. While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity. I assure you that they gave what they could afford and even more than they could afford, and they did it voluntarily. They urgently begged us for the privilege of sharing in this service for the saints. They even exceeded our expectations, because they gave themselves to the Lord first and to us, consistent with God’s will. As a result, we challenged Titus to finish this work of grace with you the way he had started it. Be the best in this work of grace in the same way that you are the best in everything, such as faith, speech, knowledge, total commitment, and the love we inspired in you. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7, CEB)

Grace is when you get what you didn’t earn. When we give love and mercy to those around us we get grace, not because we earned it, but because we are giving what we may not have to help others.

Always love first and see to the needs of others, with no concern for yourself. You are receiving from others doing the same.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Called out…

Make room in your hearts for us. We didn’t do anything wrong to anyone. We didn’t ruin anyone. We didn’t take advantage of anyone. I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty. I’ve already said that you are in our hearts so that we die and live together with you. I have every confidence in you. I’m terribly proud of you. I’m filled with encouragement. I’m overwhelmed with happiness while in the middle of our problems. Even after we arrived in Macedonia, we couldn’t rest physically. We were surrounded by problems. There was external conflict, and there were internal fears. However, God comforts people who are discouraged, and he comforted us by Titus’ arrival. We weren’t comforted only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your desire to see me, how you were sorry, and about your concern for me, so that I was even happier. Even though my letter hurt you, I don’t regret it. Well—I did regret it just a bit because I see that that letter made you sad, though only for a short time. Now I’m glad—not because you were sad but because you were made sad enough to change your hearts and lives. You felt godly sadness so that no one was harmed by us in any way. Godly sadness produces a changed heart and life that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but sorrow under the influence of the world produces death. Look at what this very experience of godly sadness has produced in you: such enthusiasm, what a desire to clear yourselves of blame, such indignation, what fear, what purpose, such concern, what justice! In everything you have shown yourselves to be innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it wasn’t for the sake of the one who did wrong, or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to show you your own enthusiasm for us in the sight of God. Because of this we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we were even more pleased at how happy Titus was. His mind has been put at rest by all of you. If I’ve bragged about you to him in any way, I haven’t been embarrassed. Instead, our bragging to Titus has also been proven to be true, just like everything we said to you was true. His devotion to you is growing even more as he remembers how all of you were obedient when you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I’m happy, because I can completely depend on you. (2 Corinthians 7:2-16, CEB)

This is part of a letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the first letter he wrote to them about their behavior and how he called them out on it. He explained how they were acting was not in line with what they were taught or how God wants them to behave.

I honestly can say I do not personally like it when someone calls me out like this. I do not like constructive criticism, because I usually take it as a personal attack. That is a growing edge for me and hopefully, by writing about it here I can move forward and be more open to the help my sisters and brothers are offering and see it as a way to better myself and live into the life God has set before me. We all fall short of where God planned for us to be, and need the help of others around us. We should heed the leading of those around us who love us and want us to be the person God created us to be.

None of us can go this life alone and we need others around us to guide us and lead us. Don’t be discouraged and when a sibling in Christ offers a constructive criticism see it as love and lean into the life God has given you.

Know we are not alone.

Love like Jesus

Loving People. Loving God.

Ghosted…

Right then, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake, toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying good-bye to them, Jesus went up onto a mountain to pray. Evening came and the boat was in the middle of the lake, but he was alone on the land. He saw his disciples struggling. They were trying to row forward, but the wind was blowing against them. Very early in the morning, he came to them, walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost and they screamed. Seeing him was terrifying to all of them. Just then he spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” He got into the boat, and the wind settled down. His disciples were so baffled they were beside themselves. That’s because they hadn’t understood about the loaves. Their minds had been closed so that they resisted God’s ways. (Mark 6:45-52, CEB)

The disciples thought they were being ghosted…

Jesus was walking on the water after he sent the disciples ahead of him across the sea. They saw him but didn’t know it was him. So they were frightened by what they saw, until he spoke to them and told them they didn’t need to be afraid.

Know that even when we don’t know Jesus is there, Jesus is there. We may not recognize him at first either, but he is there.

Loving People. Loving God.

Paul

In the morning light they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn’t know what land it was, but they thought they might possibly be able to run the ship aground. They cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that ran back to the rudders. They raised the foresail to catch the wind and made for the beach. But they struck a sandbar and the ship ran aground. The bow was stuck and wouldn’t move, and the stern was broken into pieces by the force of the waves. The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming to shore and escaping. However, the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and head for land. He ordered the rest to grab hold of planks or debris from the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely. (Acts 27:39-44, CEB)

The centurion wanted to save Paul so he didn’t allow any of the soldiers to kill any prisoners. They all survived and made it to shore.

When we believe and follow God, God will always be with us through whatever we face and will work through ways that may not seem like the paths we would choose.

Trust God.

Loving People. Loving God.

sailing

When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they could carry out their plan. They pulled up anchor and sailed closely along the coast of Crete. Before long, a hurricane-strength wind known as a northeaster swept down from Crete. The ship was caught in the storm and couldn’t be turned into the wind. So we gave in to it, and it carried us along. After sailing under the shelter of an island called Cauda, we were able to control the lifeboat only with difficulty. They brought the lifeboat aboard, then began to wrap the ship with cables to hold it together. Fearing they might run aground on the sandbars of the Gulf of Syrtis, they lowered the anchor and let the ship be carried along. We were so battered by the violent storm that the next day the men began throwing cargo overboard. On the third day, they picked up the ship’s gear and hurled it into the sea. When neither the sun nor the moon appeared for many days and the raging storm continued to pound us, all hope of our being saved from this peril faded. For a long time no one had eaten. Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have complied with my instructions not to sail from Crete. Then we would have avoided this damage and loss. Now I urge you to be encouraged. Not one of your lives will be lost, though we will lose the ship. Last night an angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I worship stood beside me. The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar! Indeed, God has also graciously given you everyone sailing with you.’ Be encouraged, men! I have faith in God that it will be exactly as he told me. However, we must run aground on some island.” On the fourteenth night, we were being carried across the Adriatic Sea. Around midnight the sailors began to suspect that land was near. They dropped a weighted line to take soundings and found the water to be about one hundred twenty feet deep. After proceeding a little farther, we took soundings again and found the water to be about ninety feet deep. Afraid that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they hurled out four anchors from the stern and began to pray for daylight. The sailors tried to abandon the ship by lowering the lifeboat into the sea, pretending they were going to lower anchors from the bow. Paul said to the centurion and his soldiers, “Unless they stay in the ship, you can’t be saved from peril.” The soldiers then cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away. Just before daybreak, Paul urged everyone to eat. He said, “This is the fourteenth day you’ve lived in suspense, and you’ve not had even a bite to eat. I urge you to take some food. Your health depends on it. None of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said these things, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, then broke it and began to eat. Everyone was encouraged and took some food. (In all, there were two hundred seventy-six of us on the ship.) When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. (Acts 27:13-38, CEB)

It is interesting to me that this story is in Acts about Paul but not in any of Paul’s letters. The details are intense, and the story is gripping. Paul is telling them they shouldn’t have sailed when the storm hits because he told them before they left not to go yet. And then he reminds them that they have to stay with the ship if they want to survive, if they get off the ship no one will survive.

So they listen to Paul and they all survive. Paul also gets all the people to eat.

And remember Paul is a prisoner during all of this. It seems to me that Paul would have written about this in his letters at some point. But we can also see that when we follow where God is leading us, God will always be with us.

God doesn’t give us what we can handle, God helps us handle what we are given.

Loving People. Loving God.

Faith yet?

Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41, CEB)

Don’t you have faith yet?

You have been with me all this time and yet you are worried that we will perish while I am sleeping…

Jesus was calm enough and at peace to sleep during the storm on the water. I have been in a storm on the water, in a small boat, and I would not have been able to sleep. The simple fact that Jesus is sleeping should be enough for the disciples.

Do we really have faith?

Sometimes I question my own belief in God. But I error on the side of love and trust.

Trust God. God is faithful.

Love like Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.

Signs…

“There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, there will be dismay among nations in their confusion over the roaring of the sea and surging waves. The planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken, causing people to faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world. Then they will see the Human One coming on a cloud with power and great splendor. Now when these things begin to happen, stand up straight and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.” (Luke 21:25-28, CEB)

Here is your sign…

I honestly think things like this were included to show us we wouldn’t know when Jesus was coming back. Because there are signs every day and depending on how one interprets the signs you can make the end time fit a lot of times in the past and present.

Actually, in a class I took during my second semester of seminary, we looked at the times and places in the Bible it talked about the end of time and figured out when the return of Jesus would be. And honestly, that is all I remember about that. Not the day or how many years, just that we did it as an exercise in futility.

I have told some people too that Jesus will return when all of us figure out the love thing. If we all loved each other, then Jesus would return, so unfortunately, Jesus will never be coming back. Seriously, if we do what Jesus came to teach, wouldn’t we be truly ushering in the kingdom of God.

Love. It is that simple.

Loving People. Loving God.

Paul in Acts…

After we tore ourselves away from them, we set sail on a straight course to Cos, reaching Rhodes the next day, and then Patara. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, boarded, and put out to sea. We spotted Cyprus, but passed by it on our left. We sailed on to the province of Syria and landed in Tyre, where the ship was to unload its cargo. We found the disciples there and stayed with them for a week. Compelled by the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem. When our time had come to an end, we departed. All of them, including women and children, accompanied us out of town where we knelt on the beach and prayed. We said good-bye to each other, then we boarded the ship and they returned to their homes. Continuing our voyage, we sailed from Tyre and arrived in Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers and sisters there and spent a day with them. The next day we left and came to Caesarea. We went to the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who were involved in the work of prophecy. After staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In Jerusalem the Jews will bind the man who owns this belt, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local believers urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul replied, “Why are you doing this? Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I’m ready not only to be arrested but even to die in Jerusalem for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus.” Since we couldn’t talk him out of it, the only thing we could say was, “The Lord’s will be done.” After this, we got ready and made our way up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and led us to Mnason’s home, where we were guests. He was from Cyprus and had been a disciple a long time. (Acts 21:1-16, CEB)

Here we get more of the author of Acts take on who Paul was. Paul did a lot of traveling in Acts and speaking and teaching. A lot of the stories we read on Acts about Paul are not in his own writings. They are different than what Paul wrote about. That doesn’t mean they didn’t happen, it means that the person who witnessed them saw them maybe differently than Paul did. Because most of the things in Acts are not reported by Paul or are not as detailed or important to Paul.

Paul though knew it was important to tell others about Jesus.

We need to let God’s love shine in our lives and tell the people we come in contact with that Jesus loves them.

Loving People. Loving God.

Long winded…

When the riot was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said good-bye, and left for the province of Macedonia. He traveled through that region with a message of encouragement. When he came to Greece, he stayed for three months. Because the Jews hatched a plot against Paul as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided instead to return through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater, Pyrrhus’ son from Beroea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. They went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. We sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread and met them five days later in Troas, where we stayed for a week. On the first day of the week, as we gathered together for a meal, Paul was holding a discussion with them. Since he was leaving the next day, he continued talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we had gathered. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third floor and died. Paul went down, fell on him and embraced him, then said, “Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive!” Then Paul went back upstairs and ate. He talked for a long time—right up until daybreak—then he left. They took the young man away alive, and they were greatly comforted. We went on to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we intended to take Paul on board. Paul had arranged this, since he intended to make his way there by land. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we sailed from there and arrived opposite Chios. On the day after, we sailed to Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he wouldn’t need to spend too much time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by Pentecost Day. (Acts 20:1-16, CEB)

Ever heard the story of the longest sermon ever? You just read it. It was interrupted by a young man falling asleep and out of a third-story window and being revived. The man falling asleep and to his death didn’t stop Paul from preaching it was a mere bump in the time spent teaching and talking.

Paul seems to be a man on the move in the Book of Acts. He is teaching and talking every where he can to let people know about Jesus and the love of God.

Are we as talkative about the best gift we have ever received?

Loving People. Loving God.