Dear friends, greetings from tropical Chicago! It's been unusually warm here though as we leave this afternoon it's set to go back down to the 30s! Pastor Rob, Erwin Janek, Paul Mayhew and I are at a stewardship conference at Willow Creek Community Church and we're having a great time learning and fellowshiping together.
We stayed in a motel with no internet access thus no ConCafes yesterday and I'll try to quickly share both Tuesdays and todays.
Here are our study guides:
Tuesday: Read Acts 26:4-18. In this retelling of his testimony, St. Paul shares how the Lord Jesus called him out of a successful life into a life of meaning and purpose. Consider what Paul had before and after Christ. In worldly thinking, which made more sense? What’s making sense for you right now? Is Christ guiding that thinking?
Wednesday: For our day of purpose and action, visit someone you consider to be of great faith and ask them about what really matters in their life and why?
4 "All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Phar'isee. 6 And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 9 "Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. 11 By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme; and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. 12 "With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests, 13 when at midday along the road, your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. 14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.' 15 I asked, "Who are you, Lord?' The Lord answered, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.
One of the things that gets mentioned over and over again in this stewardship conference is that the things of God don't make sense in our worldly thinking. Take the example of the Apostle Paul. Successful in what he considered to be his calling, and very happy in it, but it took the Damascus Road experience to call him to where God wanted him. Paul thought he was serving God by arresting Christians. Paul thought he was serving God in helping put an end to those who would proclaim Christ. But God had other plans for him. Read carefully the above passage again and answer for yourself the questions posed to us.
Please pray for our safe travel home later this afternoon.
PRAYER: God of truth, reveal to us what Your plans are for our lives. We may be happy and set in ways that we think are of You but You have the last word and You speak truth. Help us to recognize it and receive it for ourselves. We pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
