by Maria Rudolph
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The assembly was in confusion: some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there (Acts 19:32).
Read Acts 19:21–41
Can you think of any big issues we currently face in our church? Big problems we are facing in society? How do these issues get handled? Are you involved in any of them yourself? How do you see other people getting involved?
There have been issues and conflicts as long as there have been humans, ranging from mundane worldly matters to complex spiritual ones. The Book of Acts gives us a taste of issues among the new pastors and teachers and what the new Way (as the Christian faith became known) meant for people.
Sometimes Jews and Christians clashed. There were wrong teachings within the new churches themselves. Christians clashed with the Gentile faiths around them. On top of that, new ways of living promoted by biblical principles clashed with the perceptions of prevailing social norms.
And, sometimes, someone simply got upset because the Christians disturbed their equilibrium. Things had been a certain way for so long. Why should they have to change now?
A silversmith in Ephesus got upset that he was losing contracts: More Christians meant less need for his silver altars to the Greek goddess Artemis. Instead of addressing it using the proper process, he stirred up his silversmith mates, too, and then turned his economic problem into a religious one by declaring, ‘The goddess will be robbed of her divine majesty’ (Acts 19:27)!
This chipped at the foundations of many people’s faith, and they joined his protests without truly grasping what was going on. Once a proper riot started, some troublemakers simply joined in for the sake of fighting. Although Paul was wisely held back by his disciples, he was willing to face that wild crowd to take responsibility for the actions seemingly caused by the new church in Ephesus.
Instead of getting swept up in the commotion, the town clerk of Ephesus showed wise leadership by determining and dealing with the root cause of the riot: a silversmith upset with losing contracts, who was promptly advised to quit wreaking havoc and follow proper processes with his complaint.
This might be a good time to assess potential battles caused by issues in our church or society: What is the root cause? Am I following proper processes? How am I going about the battle I am involved in? If I am defending the Christian faith, do I conduct myself as one full of the fruit of the Spirit?
Dear God, grant me bravery and zeal like St Paul to stand up for my church and grant me wisdom like Ephesus’ town clerk to understand the core issues of matters. Grant me and all people of our church and society discernment and insight to find solutions for the issues facing us at this time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria loves serving God through the LCANZ and currently does this at St John’s Perth as a pastoral associate and volunteers at Concordia Duncraig in Western Australia. She enjoys being part of a Way Forward Working Group and tackling current theological issues on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations. Her three kids and pastor husband keep her very happy and busy.
by Maria Rudolph
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One day the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?’ (Acts 19:15)
Read Acts 19:11–20
You know the situation: You meet new people at church or a function. In our Australian and Lutheran cultures, we have subtle ways to find out about other people without bluntly asking, ‘Who are you?’ We ask, ‘What do you do for a living?’, ‘What was your maiden name?’ and ‘Are you related to such and such?’ They are all questions intended to place the other person into a context, to give them an identity that means something to us.
Who are you?
Even an evil spirit is asking this question. Jesus was well-known, and Paul, who preached Jesus every waking moment, had become a household name, not least thanks to the miracles that accompanied his preaching. Many grew in faith and knowledge of the gospel and gained a new understanding of who they were as children of God. People came from near and far for this teaching and the healings, going as far as taking items that had touched Paul back home to retain for themselves a bit of this healing power.
However, some Jews decided to skip Paul’s lectures on the gospel and tap straight into the miracle part by simply copying what they had observed Paul do. And it must have worked – there is power in the name of Jesus! The seven sons of the Jewish high priest went as far as going around driving out demons in Christ’s name. But they had not done their homework. The faith had not grown in them; they had not become acquainted with the gospel or the meaning behind the power of Jesus. They did not even know that to follow Jesus, they should become baptised children of God, which would give them a new life in Christ.
But they couldn’t fool the evil spirit they encountered. With one question, he rattled their thin roots and shaky foundations to the core, and they came tumbling down. Their embarrassing encounter became a lesson for us all.
Know who you are. You are a baptised child of God, the heir of the highest God. Jesus has given his life for you, and you are born again and are a new creation. Even when all else is stripped from you, and you leave this earth again naked, this identity will be your only and most precious possession. This is most certainly true.
Dear God, with Lutheran martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we pray, ‘Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, thou knowest, O God, I am thine’. Yes, Lord, to be yours is all we need to know about ourselves. Wash away our self-doubt, worry, and feelings of inadequacy and replace them with sure confidence in your name, on which we are calling to be saved. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria loves serving God through the LCANZ and currently does this at St John’s Perth as a pastoral associate and volunteers at Concordia Duncraig in Western Australia. She enjoys being part of a Way Forward Working Group and tackling current theological issues on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations. Her three kids and pastor husband keep her very happy and busy.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
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While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:1,5).
Read Acts 19:1–10
My wife and I have three great children, and today is our son Jackson’s birthday*. While we celebrated his birth, it wasn’t long after that we also began planning for his baptism. He’s a very late 20th-century child and, like his older brother and younger sister, they’ve all been reborn through water and the word. Each occasion was a wonderful celebration with family and friends as God publicly welcomed them into his family.
Baptism has been around now for almost 2000 years. It got me thinking about all the people who have gone before us, entering God’s family through the waters of baptism. What an amazing gift of grace God has poured out on people by adopting them as his children. God takes sinful human beings created in his image and gives them a new, bigger family, welcoming them into a faith relationship with his Son, Jesus.
Paul and his missionary friends got to witness God at work in powerful ways so often. From those first Christians in Ephesus to the present-day workings of the Holy Spirit, God’s family keeps growing. There will always be those who stubbornly refuse to believe and speak evil of the Way (verse 9) all these centuries later, but that doesn’t stop God and his plan of salvation from continually being spread across the world.
Our earthly birth gives family and friends something to celebrate each year as we sing ‘Happy Birthday’. Our ‘re-birth’ through baptism gives heaven and the communions of saints something even more significant to celebrate for eternity.
Praise God for your eternal ‘happy birthday’ through the waters of baptism. Reflect on five things the Holy Spirit has done in and through you over the years.
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the privilege of being able to call you our ‘Abba, Father’ and making us your children through baptism and our faith in you. May your Holy Spirit draw us ever closer to you each day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
*It’s also our dog Collie’s birthday.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
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And he [Gallio] drove them from the tribunal. And they [Jewish leaders] all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this (Acts 18:16,17).
Read Acts 18:12–28
As I write this, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place. A big furore has erupted over a tableau consisting of drag queen artistes, including a child, which sparked outrage on social media and garnered backlash from political and religious leaders from many parts of the world.
How would you respond? It is easy to see how the unbelieving world around us can shrug their shoulders and move on and say, ‘What’s all the fuss about?’ And if today’s reading from Acts 18 is any indication, nothing has changed in around 2000 years. Gallio turned a blind eye to matters that he referred to as ‘a matter of questions about words and names and your own law’ and followed that up with, ‘See to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things’ (verse 15).
What I learned from that is he couldn’t have cared less about matters of theology because it wasn’t his area of expertise, interest or jurisdiction. He then handballed it back to the Jews, who tried another angle – to beat up Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue – but still no reaction from Gallio (verse 17).
As God’s family and ambassadors here on earth, Christians are constantly being watched as to how we respond to challenges to our faith, how the world portrays Jesus, and how the interpretation of Scripture by ungodly influences is responded to. We will do well to speak up and ensure our voice of discontent is heard so that we are credible and consistent with identifying offence and speaking up for our Lord and Saviour.
However, I couldn’t help but think of two things: Jesus strangely said things like, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). But then Jesus raised the bar to an unbelievably high level by staying silent as he was spat on, beaten, subjected to ridicule, tortured and finally hung on a cross. He then did what only the divine human could do and said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:34).
Think of a time that you spoke up for Jesus. What happened, and how did you feel?
Lord Jesus, we know the enemy and the world delights in you being ridiculed and mocked. Help us speak up for you and, at the same time, pray for those who are your enemies. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
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And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people’ (Acts 18:9,10).
Read Acts 18:1–11
A quick phrase search for ‘Do not be afraid’ on Bible Gateway brings up 80 results. It is found in 28 different books of the Bible. In other words, it is a consistent theme that runs throughout. Most of them are spoken by God to his people, Jesus to his followers or relayed to others via one of his messengers, for example, the angel to Mary or the prophet to his audience.
When Paul was in Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you …’. It would seem the logical thing for Paul to do at that point would be to speak about Jesus, knowing that God had his back, so to speak. God had placed enough people around the city to ensure that Paul would have someone whom God had put into different situations to keep watch on Paul so that trouble and persecution would not happen. In other words, Jesus could be spoken about, and God’s love shared with relative peace.
Here in Australia, we enjoy freedom of speech, our churches aren’t burned down, our pastors aren’t arrested for sharing the gospel, and our schools and aged-care facilities are given the licence to openly promote Christianity. It’s like these words are being relived as a blessing from God for us to enjoy.
However, we also know that many places are not so fortunate. Persecution of Christians is worse now than it has ever been – just visit the Voice of the Martyrs website for proof.
‘Do not be afraid’ are God’s words of reassurance to you again today. After all, what’s the worst that can happen: you get persecuted or – worse – killed for speaking about Jesus? Then what? – you go to heaven – sooner than you would have preferred? Still, don’t be afraid. God is with you each day.
Reflect on a time when you were confident of God’s promise to not be afraid. What was it like? Thank him for what you learned from it.
Ever-present God, thank you for your ongoing protection and promise that we are never alone because you are with us always. Help us to be confident of living boldly for you each day. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
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So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons … And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean’ (Acts 17:17,19,20).
Read Acts 17:16–34
Technology has brought an unlimited amount of information to us. Even if it were possible to draw a line in the sand and stop any more ever being added to the existing amount of news, stories, background information and possible new ideas, it has been cited several times that it would still take several lifetimes to read and absorb what’s out there.
So, where does Jesus fit in? Our world is overflowing with news, ideas and stories. And now, with ‘fake news’, it’s even harder to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. No wonder people are confused. It’s no wonder people throw their hands in the air, and in their attempts for peace and quiet from all the noise and news, even Jesus gets pushed aside. We need help to know which voice to listen to.
While Paul was in Athens, he noticed a whole bunch of idols and among them one to ‘An Unknown God’. And he also had conversations with people who would do nothing but talk about the latest ideas or bits of news. Only an astute evangelist would seize such a moment to talk about Jesus and who this ‘unknown God’ really was.
For Paul, speaking about Jesus and unpacking the Scriptures was what he was commissioned to do. It is what he lived for. The gospel took him places. The gospel enabled him to meet some very influential people (Governor Felix, high priests and King Agrippa, to name a few) and influence them, too, with the good news of Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
But undergirding his missionary efforts was prayer. No doubt, before he entered a new region, city or town, his endeavours would have been immersed in prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide him to the right people so he could have the right conversations so that Jesus would be heard.
Try limiting the voices you listen to and focus on God’s word in that space. Be pleasantly surprised at what God might be saying to you as the Spirit speaks truth into your life.
Holy Spirit, please go before me into my day and conversations so I may speak your truth and enable Jesus to be heard. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days, he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead (Acts 17:2,3).
Read Acts 17:1–15
One meaning of the term ‘poking the bear’ from the Urban Dictionary says, ‘To act in such a way that has a good, but not definite chance, of causing trouble’. Even if Paul, the missionary, had never heard of such a saying, he certainly is a great example of what we understand it to mean.
Not once, not twice, but three times, Paul ‘poked the bear’ on a Sabbath – meaning he took a new teaching into a well-established religious setting (Jewish synagogue) and presented a new and controversial teaching about the Messiah. Call it gutsy, stupid or nothing but courageous – it was always going to get a reaction. The best reaction was some would come to believe in Jesus as their Saviour. The worst reaction was that some Jews wanted Paul and Silas to face the crowd that they had incited to react in such a way they had to hide and then leave the city under the cover of darkness.
Jesus knew all about ‘poking the bear’ too. In Luke 4:14–30, he went into his hometown synagogue in Nazareth and read from the Jewish Scripture scroll (Isaiah). All spoke well of him until he ‘poked the bear’, reminding them of their and their ancestor’s failure to heed the word of God and recognise that God’s ways are different from their understanding of what’s possible. Throughout his ministry, Jesus was continually ‘poking the (Jewish) bear’ – think clearing the temple and healing on the Sabbath in a synagogue. Ultimately, these actions would cost him his life.
‘Poking the bear’ among family and friends can be one of the hardest things to do. Try raising a topic you know will bring an adverse reaction between people who usually get along fine – so long as you don’t talk about [fill in the taboo topic]. But when are you ever brave enough to talk about Jesus? Don’t forget, you’ve got the truth of God’s word and the most powerful force in the universe – the Holy Spirit – to back you up. Go for it!
Almighty God, strengthen me with your words and Spirit to be bold in speaking about you to family and friends. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Pastor Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you’ (John 6:53).
Read John 6:51–58
It should come as no surprise that the early Christians, and all those of us throughout history since our Lord Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, should be misunderstood for what we believe and teach.
Historian Jackson Morgan wrote:
It is a historical fact that in the church’s early years, Christians were persecuted vigorously by the Roman Empire. In justifying this persecution, the Romans made all sorts of charges against the Christian community. We learn from the second-century Christian apologists Justin Martyr and Athenagoras that the three main accusations levied against Christians were atheism, incest, and cannibalism. The charge of atheism came from their refusal to worship the Roman pantheon of ‘gods’ (for more on this, see Justin Martyr’s First Apology, chapters 5 and 6). We also know the charge of incest originated from the Christian concept of being united as ‘one family in Christ’, which meant husbands and wives would refer to each other as ‘brothers and sisters in Christ’. To an outsider, this could easily come off the wrong way.
The third charge, that of cannibalism, he found fascinating. Why were they accused of cannibalism? And on what grounds? It was because of their belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and their belief that they ate the flesh of Christ and drank his blood. As Romans overheard Christians talking about consuming the flesh and blood of Christ, it would have been incredibly easy to misinterpret the act as cannibalism.
In his plea for the Christians (circa 176 AD), Athenagoras addresses the charge of cannibalism in a letter addressed to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He argues that Christians are not cannibals because cannibalism requires that the flesh of the victim be dead. He simply observes: ‘ … you cannot eat human flesh unless you have killed someone.’ Christians are, therefore, not cannibals because the flesh of Christ that is consumed is not dead flesh but the resurrected and fully alive flesh of Christ’s glorified body, which is given to them by Christ himself.
Praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us to believe the truth (the word), to confess it regularly (our creeds) and to receive Jesus continually in our times of worship (holy communion).
Life-giving God, thank you for revealing your truths to us and providing a way for us to believe and confess them by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
by Richard Hauser, from Guidance for Each Day (LCA, Openbook, 2002)
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me; he freed me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4).
Read Psalm 34:1–8
It’s part of the experience of being human that we all sometimes feel abandoned. Caught up in illness or mental anguish, we feel alone in the world. Our cries for help seem unheard. There appears to be no answer to human suffering.
The reassuring message we find in God’s word is that he is here, he loves us, and he stands beside us in our darkest times. He will not abandon us. He showed his commitment to us by coming in human form among us, by suffering with us and for us, so that we might entertain the hope of one day living in safe and close communion with him forever.
Along with David, who wrote the words of today’s psalm, we praise God for his help and the hope it gives us.
Dear God, thank you for being there for us when we cry for help. Hear us and answer according to your will and your love for us. Amen.
Due to unexpected circumstances, the rostered contributor for this week was unable to supply the devotions. This week’s devotions have been reprinted from 2018 and feature excellent devotions from Openbook Howden publications. We thank God for the work of his dedicated servants, past and present.