The proconsul Gallio didn’t care about theology, yet his indifference became Paul’s protection. Paul didn’t even have to defend himself; the “system” handled it. This is a masterclass in Divine Timing. We often exhaust ourselves trying to micromanage our reputation or safety, forgetting that God can use even the most secular forces to shield His work.
Paul was called to follow Jesus and follow His example, as are we. The difference between Paul and us is that Jesus was without sin, the only person who has ever lived who lived in perfect obedience to God, our Father. The good news is that through faith in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, we may approach God with freedom and confidence, just as Paul did.
Trust that God is working in the “background noise” of your life. You don’t have to fight every battle or win every argument. Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is stand still and watch how the pieces move without your intervention.
“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking.” These words imply that Paul was, in fact, afraid and tempted to be silent. God’s remedy for Paul’s anxiety wasn’t a change in the city’s politics, but a promise of His presence: “For I am with you.”
The principle of the “Quiet Center” reminds us that courage isn’t the absence of fear; it is the presence of God. You don’t need to know how the next year in “Corinth” will play out. You only need the bread for today. When the night feels heavy, lean into the stillness and hear the Spirit whispering that you are not alone in the fray.
I can recall numerous occasions when I was anxious and fearful, and all I had to do was center my thoughts on God’s presence, and the fear went away. Jesus promised that “each day has enough trouble of its own.” In Psalm 23, David said, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil because You are with me.
No matter our circumstances, Jesus is always with us.
Paul “devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah,” yet he met nothing but abuse. His response was a physical manifestation of entrusting himself to the care of God, and then he shook out his clothes and moved next door. There is a holy grit in knowing when to stay, but there is a divine grace in knowing when to leave.
Conflict is inevitable when working with people, whether from our limited knowledge and experience or from others’. Just as a plane flying from one location to another is off course 90% of the time, adjustments and corrections have to be made to stay on course. I have learned that the same is true in working with people in church. Peter said that love covers a multitude of sins, but there are situations like Paul’s where you have to “shake the dust off of your feet” and move on.
Many of us carry the weight of “failed” projects or of people who are unreceptive as personal burdens. However, faithfulness does not require us to beat our heads against a locked door. By shaking the dust, Paul stayed present to the new opportunity at the house of Titius Justus.
Today, ask yourself: What outcome am I clutching that I need to release so I can be available for what is next? Sometimes, the most spiritual thing you can do is stop pouring energy into a closed door so you can be fully present for the open one next door.
We often expect God to speak through a big event, but in Corinth, He spoke through the shared smell of leather and the rhythm of a needle. Paul, exhausted from Athens, finds community not in a synagogue, but at a workbench with Aquila and Priscilla.
Abiding in Christ teaches us that our “tentmaking”—our jobs, errands, and hobbies—is not a distraction from our calling; it is the venue for it. When we are fully available to the person sitting across from us at lunch or the colleague in the next cubicle, we find that God has already prepared a “common ground.”
When I went to work one night at the meteorological office over sixty years ago, my personal life was falling apart. Seeking pleasure in the wrong places had turned into addictions to destructive activities. But a godly man looked beyond my faults and turned our routine workplace into an evangelistic opportunity to express his faith, love, and hope with me. He shared the Gospel and began to cultivate a relationship with me that eventually brought me into the Kingdom of God. His love for God and me changed my life and saved my marriage.
Don’t rush through the mundane tasks of today. Your next great encouragement might be hidden in the shared labor of the present moment.
One thing we know about Paul is how much the Gospel meant to him. Not only because he expressed it with words time and time again, but he followed through with his actions and his willingness to risk for the sake of the Gospel.
Our risk for the Gospel is most likely very different than Paul’s… but it’s still worth paying attention to how we react when pressed! Do I go along with the majority when I know something doesn’t align with God‘s will? Do I hesitate to say what I really believe in order to keep the peace? Am I quick to get defensive when someone doesn’t agree with me? At many times, my answer to those questions has been yes. However, it’s in those times that I realize that what I’m saying or doing isn’t matching what I believe that God invites me to dig deeper and understand where or why I am not aligned with Him.
God continues to challenge (invite) us to struggle in this world and take risks, whether we see fruit right away or not. We continue to walk in faith, knowing that He who has called us is faithful, and we do it not just to please Him, but because He is already pleased with us. As we do so, we get to walk through adventure with God, not knowing who He is already moving in, or what He will do next. Paul experienced adventure with God! We are invited to do the same. God gets the glory, and we get the joy!
I love that Paul gives an answer to what they “worship without knowing.” How interesting that the people held a literal space on an altar for this “unknown God.” I correlate this to the same thing we do in our hearts — filling a space with other things that all have more needs than what we could ever provide, instead of placing God on that altar that He alone is meant to fill, as He has no needs. What we have tried to fill in our hearts time and time again, whether that be with other people, achievements, or self-worth, ends up requiring more of us than it provides for us. Each time we turn up empty, more discouraged, defeated, and lonely.
Isn’t that especially true before we come to know Jesus? And yet…once what was unknown becomes known, we understand what that holding place has been for! A God who has no needs, but invites us to Himself in our deepest needs. A God in whom “we live and move and find our being.” (Acts 17:28 NIV)
God created us to be with Him — we all have this empty altar “for the unknown God” that cannot be filled with anyone or anything other than Him. I wonder how that impacts how we view others and how we share with others. That space is already there. God invites us not only to fill it with Him, but to invite others to do the same.
There are so many idols in our culture, just like there were then, even if ours aren’t made of gold or standing on an altar before us. And yet are we just as troubled by the things that people (including ourselves) put in front of God, as sources of security, worth, value, comfort, etc.? One that can be especially sneaky is putting ourselves before God — an idol that I believe our culture is especially exalting right now.
This idol is one that has been particularly difficult to dethrone in my life. The amount of time that I can spend in a day thinking about what I want, what my rights are, what I can do, or what I deserve is something I don’t want to count up. Of course, God has trusted each of us to be responsible for ourselves and to be aware of what is going on inside us. But this isn’t in order to feel like I am something or like I can fully depend on myself or like I’m better or worse than somebody else.
The message of the Gospel completely contradicts this overly independent mindset — the truth is that we are all handcrafted by God, incredibly loved by Him, and yet because of our sin, none of us deserve anything but eternal separation from Him. We are created to be in close communion with God in a way that depends on Him wholly and not on ourselves. But we have this tendency to rely on ourselves in order to be justified and have our needs met instead of by the God of the universe, who has everything we need. We can trust God for everything that we need physically, spiritually, and emotionally. For “in him, we live and move and exist.”
As we focus on Him becoming greater in our lives, we automatically become less, not less as a person or of worth, but less of the idol that has to be worshiped and defended and upheld above all. We can trust that God made us for His glory and our good. We’re not going to miss out on anything when we follow Him. He’s not going to tear down who He made us to be as we trust Him first.
I love these verses and the contrast of the Bereans’ response compared to those in Thessalonica. Their heart posture shines through! They really wanted to know the truth, and they wanted and believed that Scripture would speak to them. When I come to a crossroads or doubt or a pain point, how often am I first searching what Scripture has to say? When I do start there and embrace humility instead of believing that I have the answers or someone else does, it clears the path for receiving what God has to say first. When I begin with humility, I can accept that I don’t know everything, but I also don’t need to know everything because God already gave us what we need to know. I can search the Bible and believe that what it says and what God is speaking through it matters more than what I have to say. I continue to be convicted about giving the Bible more space in my daily rhythms, allowing it to search me.
Father, we give You the space this morning to speak to us. Help us be more concerned with what You have to say in Your Word than what we have to say. Help us pause and wait on You in all the things that we may want to jump to quickly as we start the day. Search us and give us the discernment to be able to tell what is from You. Stir up a new passion within us to dive into Your Word, thank You for providing everything that we need to follow You. You are faithful!
My walk with Jesus changed significantly once I understood what I believed about the Bible. If it were only a source of guidelines, interesting stories, or good advice, I’d just try to extract what I needed in that moment. However if it is truly the complete, perfect, supernaturally inspired Word of God, then it’s not for me to take what I want, but for the Word to teach me what I need from it.
When I grasp that truth, everything about my intention and attitude towards Scripture changes. It helps us balance approaching the Bible with genuine curiosity while also maintaing deep trust in God that each word has been placed there purposefully by Him.
Like Paul, we can let the Word be the starting place for our thoughts, understanding, worldview, and how we reason with others. As I allow the Bible to speak to me first, teaching and correcting me first, it becomes life-giving for me and much easier to explain to others.
We can trust God’s Word to do it’s work in us to build a sturdy foundation of faith and transform us into His image — not in the way that we see fit, but in the way that He does.
This story about Paul and Silas in prison continues to be a challenge and also an encouragement. God moves powerfully by setting Paul, Silas, and the other prisoners free from their chains. But as the Jailer turns to take his life, thinking the prisoners have all escaped, God moves powerfully once again. Despite having the opportunity to flee from captivity, all the prisoners remain in their cells, and Paul calls out to the jailer to keep him from harming himself. Because of this, the jailer and his whole household believe in Jesus and are baptized! This passage is a great reminder of how our faithfulness through trial can bring others to Christ. Paul and Silas denied themselves their own freedom out of concern for the welfare of another man. Because of this, that man and his family came to know Jesus.
Matthew 20:26-28 says that, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Because Christ valued us above himself, we are called to do the same. Paul speaks to this in Philippians 2:3-4 when he says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” When we value others above ourselves, as Paul and Silas did, we point others to Christ.
