The Journey Continues

Romans Chapter 14

1) How do you deal with people who are not like you?  What happens when someone’s personal habits conflict with yours?

2) What kind of influence do you have on those around you?  Do you build people up?  Do you encourage them on their journey?

3) What is a good goal to have in mind when considering living among those that are different than us?  What should be our aspiration in relating to others?

Are you neat or messy?  Do you live in the big picture or the details?  There is not a right or wrong way here.  However, differences between people can cause great difficulty.  How do you respond to these differences?  There are issues in the Bible which fall into the category of what Paul calls “disputable matters” (14:1).  He cites the examples of diet and special days (14:6).  These were big issues in the life of the early church.  Some who came to faith in Christ did so with a strong Jewish heritage.  They held on to dietary and Sabbath regulations.  Others lived out fully the understanding that we are free in Christ.  We must not condemn those who see these matters differently than we do (14:3).

Paul moves from what others are doing to the impact we are having on their lives (14:13).  We have a tremendous responsibility to live in a way that doesn’t cause others to struggle with their faith.  The “disputable matters” that Paul is addressing should never become a reason for others to become “distressed” (14:15).  If this is happening, then you have chosen to exercise your freedom at the expense of another.  Paul also addressed this in 1 Corinthians 8:9 – “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”  And Paul is quick to point out that if this is what we are doing, we are “no longer acting in love” (14:15).

In verse 19, Paul sums up what the target should be for the way we live with those that we differ from on “disputable matters”: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”  Unity, peace, love – these keep coming up as they way for us to live.  Could it really be this basic?

Romans Chapter 15



1) How welcoming of others are you?  How much do you extend yourself to those around you?

2) Are you confident in your ability to live out your faith?  Do you believe you have what it takes to live a life for God?

3) Do you pray for others?  Do you know others that are praying for you?

Paul instructs us to accept one another (15:7).  This has the idea of receiving or admitting into friendship.  We tend to be pretty good at this with people that are like us.  But what about those who are not?  In 15:1, Paul says that we must be willing to accept those weaker than us.  But is even this going far enough?  The rest of verse 7 says, “…just as Christ accepted you…”  Here we find the standard.  How fully have you been accepted by Jesus?  How much have you been received by Him?

You can do this!  Paul expresses his confidence in the Roman believers.  He provides encouragement and instruction to those that he believes in.  I feel the same way about you.  You have learned, you have grown, and you have lived out your faith.  You can do this!  I’m not talking about relying on your own strength, but on God (Colossians 1:29).  I’m not talking about thinking more highly of yourself than you ought, but rather remaining humble (Romans 12:3).  You can do this!  Let God show Himself to be strong through you.

As Paul contemplates his upcoming itinerary (15:23-25), he realizes all that is at stake (15:31-32).  So he does what we should all do; he asks God’s people to pray for him (15:30).  The Bible has much to say about prayer.  We need to learn it and live it.

Romans Chapter 16

1) How would you briefly describe the people that you know?  How would they describe you?

2) “Careful!”  What would you warn someone about if you were saying goodbye for a time?  What words of caution would you leave them with?

3) Where are you heading?  In what direction are you living your life?

As Paul brings the letter to the Romans to its conclusion, he offers brief, specific greetings to a number of people (16:1-16).  While we don’t know much more about most of these people than we read here, we do get a brief glimpse into their lives.  What qualities are mentioned?  Why would these be important?

Paul takes one final opportunity to call those in Rome to unity and faithfulness (16:17).  The early church had to deal with the issue of false and divisive teachers.  His instruction to the church was to keep away from them!  We don’t need to meddle with other issues to see what they offer.  How do we know what is truth?  By focusing on God’s Word. 

Paul concludes by giving glory to God (16:27).  In doing so, he describes a bit of Who God is.  He begins by saying that God is able to establish you.  The idea here is to steadfastly set; to strengthen.  Further, there is the idea of turning resolutely in a certain direction.  God is to be praised for setting us on the correct path through our relationship with Jesus.

Acts Chapter 20

1) How aware of God’s presence in your life are you?  How alert are you to the move of God around you? 

2) What’s the point?  What are you doing?  What is your goal?

3) Are you prepared for attack?  Are you on guard, ready to stand against the enemy?

In a somewhat humorous scene, we read of a young man who doses off while Paul is preaching on and on (20:9).  His slumber led to his demise which led to a miracle.  How many of us are dosing off; falling into a deep sleep to the things of God?  We must fight to stay awake and be fully aware of God’s work in our midst.

As Paul outlines the dangerous journey that awaits him (20:22-23), he speaks of the insignificance of his life and the incredible significance of his mission. “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.” (Acts 20:24)  What race are you running?  What task have you been assigned to complete?  There is nothing more significant in this life than to accomplish what God has set before us.

The world, even the church, was filled with the danger of false teaching (20:28-30).  To that, Paul called the leaders to be on guard (20:31).  We must also be on guard.  We know that the enemy stands against everything we have committed to live for.  He desires to trick us (Ephesians 6:11), devour us (1 Peter 5:8) and trap us (2 Timothy 2:26).  We have already been given the victory through Jesus, yet we must be on guard, ready to stand firm.  “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)

 

Acts Chapter 21

1) How important are details?  Are there times when focusing on details is distracting?

2) What does it take to derail your plans?  How willing are you to press on to the end?

3) How far would you be willing to go for the sake of unity?  What would you be willing to do to bring together two separate worlds?

I was struck with the detail that Luke wrote with in 21:1-9.  This is consistent with Luke’s writing style throughout Acts and in the gospel of Luke.  I know that my bias toward details will come through here.  To me, paying attention to details indicates focus, commitment, and diligence.  While detailed people like me must be careful not to miss the big picture, it will be in caring for the details that everything comes together.

We saw in Chapter 20 that Paul knew going to Jerusalem would not turn out well for him.  Here in Chapter 21, Agabus the prophet paints a powerful, clear picture of this by binding his hands and feet with Paul’s belt (21:10).  And yet even this clear picture did not deter Paul from what was before him.  Paul was focused, fixed on the task before him.

One of the consistent themes that Paul teaches throughout his writing is that of unity.  The connectedness of the early church was incredibly significant to the success of her mission.  Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul is confronted by a group of Jews that are having a hard time with the way Paul is teaching the Gentiles (21:20-21).  Unfortunately, it didn’t matter that they were incorrect in their understanding of Paul’s message.  But rather than correct them, Paul reaches out to them.  Paul’s actions demonstrate his willingness to put aside his freedom for the sake of others.

Acts Chapter 22

1) What’s your story?  How do you tell others about God’s work in your life from the before you knew Him to today?

2) What are the benefits of being a citizen of the United States?  What freedoms and privileges do we enjoy as Americans?  What about the benefits we have as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven?

At the end of Acts Chapter 21 we find that Paul has been arrested and taken into Roman custody (21:27-36).  Before being placed in the barracks, he asked to address his opponents.  Paul recounts his story starting with his life before Christ.  During these days he persecuted Christians as a demonstration of being zealous for God (22:3-5).  He talked about his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (22:6-9).  Finally he shared God’s call for him to reach the Gentiles (22:21).  At this point, the people didn’t want to hear any more from Paul (22:22).  And that may be what you experience as well.  We can’t control how people respond to what we share, but that shouldn’t stop us from sharing.  We have the privilege and responsibility to share our story with those God sends our way.

The commander of the Roman army wanted to get to the bottom of the issue with Paul.  He ordered that Paul be beaten to get to the truth (22:24).  At this point, Paul brought up the fact that he was a Roman citizen and his citizenship gave him certain rights (22:25).  We have incredible rights and privileges as Americans.  We have incredible rights and privileges as citizens of God’s Kingdom as well.  Yet along with all of these benefits come tremendous responsibility.  We must live up to who we are, especially who we are in Christ.

Acts Chapter 23

1) “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”  How do you react to Paul’s words in 23:1?  Can these words be said of you?

2) Upon what do you base the direction of your life?  What confidence do you have in the way you are heading?

3) How do you process the fact that bad things happen to good people?  What happens to your faith when the good guy doesn’t win?

There is much that gets in our way of serving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  There are many times when we justify and rationalize being lax in accomplishing what God has called us to do.  But let’s use Paul’s words of confession as our words of challenge.  Let’s choose to live fully for God in the days to come.

In 23:11, Paul hears a word from God about his future.  With this as his foundation, Paul is able to move forward with great courage.  But what about you?  Have you heard from God?  Do you know the direction you are to go?  Don’t dismiss Paul’s hearing from God as a one-time event from a long time ago.  God speaks and gives direction to us today.  I believe His primary way of connecting with us is through His Word.  That’s why we are on this Journey.  And, as we hear from Him, we can move forward with the courage and confidence of Paul.

As Paul is brought before the Roman authorities, we see clearly that he truly had done nothing wrong (23:29).  This is the same situation Jesus was in when He appeared before Pilate (Luke 23:13-15).  And yet Jesus was crucified and Paul remained in prison.  How do we deal with the fact that right doesn’t always prevail and that bad things happen to good people?  Well we can’t, apart from bringing God and His perspective into the middle of our lives.  We must see life as more than just the here and now.  God’s plan for the world and His plan for us go far beyond today.

Acts Chapter 24

1) How bold are you when it comes to sharing your faith?  Do you respond to others or do you take the initiative?

2) What motivates people to listen to the message of Christ?  Are you willing to share regardless of their motivation?

3) How long are you willing to wait on God?  How patient are you as God works out His plans?

After hearing the charges that the Jews brought against Paul, Governor Felix gave Paul the opportunity to speak (24:11-13).  Paul declared that he was completely innocent of all the charges the Jews brought against him.  He could have rested his case at this point and forced the Jews to prove his guilt.  However, Paul continued to speak to Felix (24:14-21).  He took the initiative to share that he was a follower of the Way.

After Paul’s initial appearance before Felix he was kept under guard by the Romans.  Several days later (24:24), Felix sent for Paul and listen to him tell about Jesus.  Paul’s words caused Felix to become afraid and end the conversation.  However, Felix sent for Paul frequently and heard what he had to say about Christ.  Was Felix pursuing faith in Christ?  Was he under conviction of sin?  Or was there a less than admirable reason for his interest in what Paul had to say (24:26)?  Whatever was the case, Paul spoke and Felix heard.

For years, Paul had been traveling throughout modern Syria, Turkey and Greece.  He had witnessed God do incredible things time and time again on his journey.  Over a period of about 14 years Paul traveled in excess of 10,000 miles!  But now he was in custody; a place he would be in for the next 2 years (24:27).  Paul knew God had a plan for him; he was to testify in Rome (23:11).  However, everything seemed to be at a standstill.  What was confinement like to someone like Paul?  What would he have thought about God’s plans as he waited to see them come to pass?