Acts 16:16-34 And...
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Acts 16:16-34
"And the walls came a-tumblin' down!" This line comes from the song "Joshua Fought The Battle Of Jericho," an old favorite that celebrates the Old Testament story of Joshua leading the Israelite around the walls of the city of Jericho and God knocking those walls down. Walls come "a-tumblin' down" many times in the Bible. Jericho is just one example. Another is Samson, whom God gave the strength to push down pillars and make a building collapse. A third is today's story, when God gave physical strength to songs that already had strength of the spirit. Maybe the Bible is teaching us an important lesson through this repeated theme. As Christians, it is our call to knock down the walls that separate us from others and reach out with the hope of Christ.
Leah T.
Acts 16:16-34
There are no guarantees of a protected life when one becomes a Christian. Recently four clergymen were dragged from their churches by terrorists opposed to Christianity. They were told to renounce their faith in Jesus or face dire consequences.
On a video tape sent to their denominational headquarters, their murder was recorded. The first pastor was brought into a room and made to kneel. The interrogator asked him to renounce his faith. Calmly, the pastor refused. Again, he was told to abandon his foolishness. Once again, he refused to repudiate his Savior. A third time he was told to disown Jesus. Once more, he calmly stated, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior."
His captors began the horrible scene of taking their machete and laboriously cutting the pastor's head off in front of the video camera. All four men were decapitated for their faith in Christ.
These faithful pastors remind me of Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They were taken by people who hated Jesus. They were beaten and thrown into prison. Later we learn that Paul and Silas were murdered for their faith.
Someone wrote, "If one has not been persecuted for his Christian faith, he has not walked with Christ long enough or close enough."
Derl K.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Joe Walker served as an army chaplain. He recalls one particular day when a prisoner requested to be baptized and become a member of the church. The man's crime was murder. Joe reflects that if ever there was a person who did not deserve divine forgiveness it was this man. As Joe spoke with him he felt that his remorse was genuine, and his plea for forgiveness was heartfelt.
As the two men continued talking, the prisoner poured out his soul, never blaming circumstances or claming he was not guilty of the crime. Joe set the date for his baptism and joining of the church. What came to Joe's mind was how Jesus spent much of his time accepting people whom the religious leaders viewed with scorn -- tax collectors, lepers, thieves, and other sinners deemed as unqualified to be forgiven or saved.
Now many years later as Joe reflects on his time serving as a military chaplain he makes the bold claim that nothing he did was as important as extending forgiveness and grace to this young man.
The apostle John's powerful vision of the end time provides an opportunity for all people to come to Christ. No one deserves God's grace or unconditional love. John recorded these words, "And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift." The gift of salvation is available to all people; sometimes we in the church forget this truth. Who are the people living in our community whose lives would be transformed if we showered them with God's unconditional love?
Tim S.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Water is so precious, yet so many suffer from a lack of it. While many of us only associate dehydration with a dry mouth and maybe some chapped lips, the results of that condition especially in its extreme form, can be much more serious. Mild dehydration can be accompanied by loss of appetite, dry skin, and fatigue. Moderate dehydration can bring with it muscle cramps, headaches, and nausea. Extreme dehydration, in which a body has lost 10% of its body fluids, can cause racing heart rates, seizures, unconsciousness, and even death. It can also cause confusion and loss of memory and potentially permanent brain damage.
We crave water. But in this passage, we are offered water of a different kind, one that the soul of every human being craves even more: the water of life. "And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price" (v. 17).
Craig K.
John 17:20-26
In algebra classes, students are taught several properties that apply to numbers and equations. One of these properties is the Commutative Property. The Commutative Property is used when you have an expression -- for example, three plus five -- in brackets and have another number in front of the brackets to be multiplied. Let's say the expression is seven times parenthesis three plus five, end parenthesis. [ 7 (3 + 5) ] The Commutative Property says that you will multiply the seven by not only the three, but also by the five. The function transfers to both numbers in the brackets, not just one. The lesson from John is saying something similar. The value of God is applied to Jesus, but it does not stop there. Jesus has passed that value on to us -- in a way, applying the Commutative Property to create a community of followers of God.
Leah T.
John 17:20-26
New Testament writers commented a lot on what the community of believers ought to have as the mission in the church. They reminded people that they have to live the life before they could carry out the mission Christ called them to carry. Jesus made it plain that the reason he wanted people to develop an authentic church was "that the world may believe" (John 17:21). Someone wrote that there is no doubt that when the church distinctively lives out the gospel in relationship to one another, it becomes the most powerful force for evangelizing the lost.
The mission strategy Jesus uses in John 17 can be outlined:
1. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Faith. Faith in Christ is the force of life.
2. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Love. As God has sought the best for us … we seek the best for others.
3. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Integrity. The church is honest with God and with others.
Derl K.
"And the walls came a-tumblin' down!" This line comes from the song "Joshua Fought The Battle Of Jericho," an old favorite that celebrates the Old Testament story of Joshua leading the Israelite around the walls of the city of Jericho and God knocking those walls down. Walls come "a-tumblin' down" many times in the Bible. Jericho is just one example. Another is Samson, whom God gave the strength to push down pillars and make a building collapse. A third is today's story, when God gave physical strength to songs that already had strength of the spirit. Maybe the Bible is teaching us an important lesson through this repeated theme. As Christians, it is our call to knock down the walls that separate us from others and reach out with the hope of Christ.
Leah T.
Acts 16:16-34
There are no guarantees of a protected life when one becomes a Christian. Recently four clergymen were dragged from their churches by terrorists opposed to Christianity. They were told to renounce their faith in Jesus or face dire consequences.
On a video tape sent to their denominational headquarters, their murder was recorded. The first pastor was brought into a room and made to kneel. The interrogator asked him to renounce his faith. Calmly, the pastor refused. Again, he was told to abandon his foolishness. Once again, he refused to repudiate his Savior. A third time he was told to disown Jesus. Once more, he calmly stated, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior."
His captors began the horrible scene of taking their machete and laboriously cutting the pastor's head off in front of the video camera. All four men were decapitated for their faith in Christ.
These faithful pastors remind me of Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They were taken by people who hated Jesus. They were beaten and thrown into prison. Later we learn that Paul and Silas were murdered for their faith.
Someone wrote, "If one has not been persecuted for his Christian faith, he has not walked with Christ long enough or close enough."
Derl K.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Joe Walker served as an army chaplain. He recalls one particular day when a prisoner requested to be baptized and become a member of the church. The man's crime was murder. Joe reflects that if ever there was a person who did not deserve divine forgiveness it was this man. As Joe spoke with him he felt that his remorse was genuine, and his plea for forgiveness was heartfelt.
As the two men continued talking, the prisoner poured out his soul, never blaming circumstances or claming he was not guilty of the crime. Joe set the date for his baptism and joining of the church. What came to Joe's mind was how Jesus spent much of his time accepting people whom the religious leaders viewed with scorn -- tax collectors, lepers, thieves, and other sinners deemed as unqualified to be forgiven or saved.
Now many years later as Joe reflects on his time serving as a military chaplain he makes the bold claim that nothing he did was as important as extending forgiveness and grace to this young man.
The apostle John's powerful vision of the end time provides an opportunity for all people to come to Christ. No one deserves God's grace or unconditional love. John recorded these words, "And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift." The gift of salvation is available to all people; sometimes we in the church forget this truth. Who are the people living in our community whose lives would be transformed if we showered them with God's unconditional love?
Tim S.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
Water is so precious, yet so many suffer from a lack of it. While many of us only associate dehydration with a dry mouth and maybe some chapped lips, the results of that condition especially in its extreme form, can be much more serious. Mild dehydration can be accompanied by loss of appetite, dry skin, and fatigue. Moderate dehydration can bring with it muscle cramps, headaches, and nausea. Extreme dehydration, in which a body has lost 10% of its body fluids, can cause racing heart rates, seizures, unconsciousness, and even death. It can also cause confusion and loss of memory and potentially permanent brain damage.
We crave water. But in this passage, we are offered water of a different kind, one that the soul of every human being craves even more: the water of life. "And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price" (v. 17).
Craig K.
John 17:20-26
In algebra classes, students are taught several properties that apply to numbers and equations. One of these properties is the Commutative Property. The Commutative Property is used when you have an expression -- for example, three plus five -- in brackets and have another number in front of the brackets to be multiplied. Let's say the expression is seven times parenthesis three plus five, end parenthesis. [ 7 (3 + 5) ] The Commutative Property says that you will multiply the seven by not only the three, but also by the five. The function transfers to both numbers in the brackets, not just one. The lesson from John is saying something similar. The value of God is applied to Jesus, but it does not stop there. Jesus has passed that value on to us -- in a way, applying the Commutative Property to create a community of followers of God.
Leah T.
John 17:20-26
New Testament writers commented a lot on what the community of believers ought to have as the mission in the church. They reminded people that they have to live the life before they could carry out the mission Christ called them to carry. Jesus made it plain that the reason he wanted people to develop an authentic church was "that the world may believe" (John 17:21). Someone wrote that there is no doubt that when the church distinctively lives out the gospel in relationship to one another, it becomes the most powerful force for evangelizing the lost.
The mission strategy Jesus uses in John 17 can be outlined:
1. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Faith. Faith in Christ is the force of life.
2. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Love. As God has sought the best for us … we seek the best for others.
3. The Mission of the Church is Unity through Integrity. The church is honest with God and with others.
Derl K.
