Citizenship Matters

November 11

(Acts 22:22-25 NIV) ““The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!" {23} As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, {24} the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. {25} As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?””

(Ephesians 2:11-13 NIV) ““Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- {12} remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”

(Ephesians 2:19 NIV) “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,”

Citizenship matters -- or at least it should! What many take for granted, others will risk death to obtain. It is that way with nations, and it should be that way with the Kingdom of God. Before we came to Christ, we were aliens to the Kingdom. We were outsiders. We were foreigners without hope. Then we became citizens of God’s kingdom, and when we did, we obtained not just the privileges of citizenship, but also the responsibilities of citizenship. We were no longer aliens. Once we lived far away, but then we were brought near. We found a new home. We began to learn a new language. We adopted the laws of the Kingdom as our own. People we formerly had no relationship with became like brothers and sisters to us. We began to behave as if we belonged, because our relationship had changed. We began to behave responsibly. Citizenship matters -- or at least it should! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Rid the Earth of Him

November 10

(Acts 22:14-22 NIV) ""The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. {15} You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. {16} And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.' {17} "When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance {18} and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' {19} "'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. {20} And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' {21} "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles. {22} The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live!""

(Luke 4:24-30 NIV)  ""I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. {25} I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. {26} Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. {27} And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian." {28} All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. {29} They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. {30} But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.""

Like Paul, we who believe have been chosen to know God’s will, and to speak the truth of Jesus. Our life’s purpose has changed. We have been chosen to have our sins washed away and to hear the words of God. We’ve been called to go to those in need of God’s grace. We’ve been commanded to love them and to share the story of God’s mercy. We will not always be well received or popular with the crowds. Many do not want to hear that God has mercy on the lost, the unclean, the hookers, the homeless, and the hated. Many do not want to hear that God has called us to repent and turn from sin. Some may turn on you and try to shout you down. Enemies of Christ’s name will judge you unfit to live and try to rid the Earth of you. But we have this calling, so tell the truth anyway. Be honest about your past, but also speak of the changes that have come through Jesus. Be His witness! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Helping Hands

November 9

(Acts 22:11-14 NIV) ““My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. {12} "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. {13} He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. {14} "Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.””

(Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV) ““For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. {12} Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. {13} You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.””

In our faith journey, many of us have had companions who led us when we couldn’t see well. We’ve had those special people that God sent at just the right time to speak truth, hope, and sometimes conviction into our lives. Ananias came to Paul at just the right time and provided God’s hand of healing and voice of calling. He gave Paul a hope and a future. There were others who showed Jesus to Paul, and who helped him grow and mature. He mentions some of them by name in his letters. When you share your story, tell about what Jesus has done for you through others since he lifted you up. You can share it without being proud or boastful. Thank those people who have helped you. Build them up. This cruel and harsh world will take care of tearing them down and humbling them. Let others know what they’ve meant to you, as you give glory to God for your growth. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

I Am Jesus

November 8

(Acts 22:6-10 NIV) ““About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. {7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?' {8} "'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. "'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. {9} My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. {10} "'What shall I do, Lord?' I asked. "'Get up,' the Lord said, 'and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.””

(Exodus 3:13-16 NIV) ““Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" {14} God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" {15} God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.””

Paul never forgot the misdeeds of his past. Most of us can identify. But he also never forgot the day he met Jesus. It was the defining moment in his life. You don’t come face to face with the great I Am and not remember it. It wasn’t a pleasant moment, but it was a blessed moment. Paul was knocked to the ground and blinded by one who said, “I Am Jesus.”, and then lifted up and given eyes to see by the mercy and grace of our Lord. How we met Jesus is a crucial part of every Christian’s story. Think about it… when you think of Paul, what comes to your mind? Do you think persecutor/murderer? No! You think Damascus Road. Culture even uses the term “Damascus Road Experience” to describe a dramatic turn-around in a person’s life. We would do well to spend less time remembering how bad we were, and more time testifying to the life change that came when we met Jesus. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day