Ready to Die for Jesus

October 30

(Acts 21:13-15 NIV) “Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. {14} When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done." {15} After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.”

(Acts 20:24 NIV) “However, 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--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.”

(Luke 9:23-24 NIV) “Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. {24} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”

(Revelation 12:11 NIV) “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

Paul was ready and willing to die for Jesus, but he had really died on that road to Damascus years earlier. He had died to himself and had become a new man. God had placed him on a different road. His life had changed course, and staying alive was no longer his chief concern. Death no longer held sway over him. Paul did not die in Jerusalem, as his friends feared, but was taken prisoner and shipped to Rome, where he was martyred for his faith. But he was prepared because he had settled the issue of what he was willing to die for. He had decided that he was willing to die for the gospel of Jesus. In his heart of hearts, Paul counted his life worth nothing to himself, and laid it down for Christ. He was willing to carry the cross, even if it led to his death. How about you? Have you decided what you are willing to die for? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Phillip’s Four Gifts

October 29

(Acts 21:9 NIV) “He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.”

(Luke 2:36-38 NIV) “There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, {37} and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. {38} Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

(Judges 4:4-5 NIV) “Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. {5} She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.”

God had given Phillip gifts of compassion and evangelism, but he had also received four other gifts from the Lord. Phillip had been given four daughters with prophetic gifts. The biblical gift of prophecy is not just about seeing the future. Those with prophetic gifts have the ability to speak the word of God into the lives of others in a way that brings conviction and change. These four women had been given the gift of preaching God’s word with power. Many have strong feelings about women in ministry, but what is clear is that these four women, along with others in Scripture, had prophetic gifting. It is also obvious that Phillip had not kept them locked up in a closet. They had been using their gifts, prophesying in their community. God does not give us gifts just so we can say we have them. God gives men and women gifts to use for the glory of His kingdom. Use yours! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Growing the Church

October 28

(Acts 21:4 NIV) “Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days.”

(Acts 21:7-8 NIV) “We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. {8} Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.”

(Acts 16:5 NIV) “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

Paul and his fellow workers had scattered seeds of the gospel all around the Mediterranean Sea, and those seeds had taken root and grown. When Paul began he was the first Christian to enter many cities. But as he headed back to Jerusalem, he found Christians almost everywhere. The infant church was reproducing itself. When Paul reached Caesarea, he stayed at the house of Philip, who was one of the seven men chosen to run the church’s feeding program for widows and orphans back in Acts, Chapter 6. Phillip had compassion gifts, and had been called to a “hands on” service ministry. But Phillip had other gifts as well. This man who waited on tables had also been given the gift of evangelism, and led many to Christ. What are your gifts? You likely have more than one. Be sure to discover them and use them for the glory of God. It’s both our privilege and our calling. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day  

A Face Like Flint

October 27

(Acts 21:1-6 NIV) “After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. {2} We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. {3} After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. {4} Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. {5} But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. {6} After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.”

(Acts 21:10-12 NIV) “After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. {11} Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” {12} When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.”

(Acts 20:23 NIV) “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.”

(Isaiah 50:7 NIV) “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.”

The prophet Isaiah once said that he had set his face like flint and would not be disgraced. Today we see Paul ignore the pleadings of friends, set his face like flint, and head for Jerusalem. The prophet Agabus warned Paul that he would be bound and imprisoned by the Gentiles. But Paul already knew that “prison and hardships” faced him wherever he went (Acts 20:23). He had looked death in the face several times and not flinched. He had counted the cost and was willing to pay it. Paul went to Jerusalem with full knowledge of what awaited him there. The counsel of friends and family can be good, but often they love us more than they love God, and they want us to love them more than we love God. They worry more about our personal safety than about the mission God has given us. Paul’s friends forgot that he loved Jesus more than he loved his life. We are called to that same love! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day