Scripture:
And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem — because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. v2-3
Observation:
Paul is in prison PLUS he has this group of men looking to ambush him to kill him. He states later in the chapter that he isn’t seeking a way out of death, he is simply being obedient to Jesus and following this whole sage as it unfolds.
Paul – the greatest missionary, one of the greatest Christians to ever walk the face of the earth, was persecuted, sent to prison, had men trying to kill him all while he followed Jesus.
Application:
The prosperity gospel that says, “If you follow Jesus, your life will be good. You will be healthy, wealthy, and successful. God wants you to have your best life now..” So on, and so forth… that prosperity gospel is pure garbage. It has no place in real Christianity. Anyone that tells you otherwise doesn’t know the stories of Acts.
Following Jesus has suffering, BUT it has all the joy in the world. We need to stop listening & settling for false teachers who tell otherwise, who try to get us to rejoice in Jesus because of his gifts, rather than just rejoicing in Jesus.
Martin Luther said this, “I don’t want to go to heaven. I want to be with Jesus. If Jesus is in hell, send me there.” Jesus is so worth it, so amazing, that the circumstances don’t matter to us, similar to how they were of almost no value to Paul. Jesus was so big and beautiful that he couldn’t even feel the weight of the tough times.
Run after Jesus until you see him like that.
Prayer:
Make us a church like this Lord, remove all the nonsense that we hear and believe and make us a people who rejoice in you and only you!