Storms Clarify - Acts 27:1-44
One of my favorite places on our church campus is the field behind the gym and next to the Children’s Center. The reason it’s so special to me is that it’s the place I go to walk, pray and process both good and bad news with God. Through the years, I’ve had multiple opportunities to get out on those glorious blades of grass and prayerfully evaluate what my response will be to the storm that God has allowed into my life.
I don’t know about the process of evaluation you go through when a storm hits, but I can tell you that the very first thing my mind turns to is resources, and I think, “Do I have enough of them to meet the challenge at hand?” If I conclude I do, then I tend to be calmer; if I conclude I don’t, I tend to be more anxious. I am sorry to say that I usually respond to storms by looking first at what I have before looking at God and what He has. But I can tell you God is growing me.
For those of us who start first by looking at our resources when a storm hits, this account is very challenging because the crew actually ends up getting rid of some very important things that provide a good sense of security. Verse 32 tells us they get rid of their lifeboats. Verse 38 tells us they get rid of their wheat. But they don’t get rid of them for no reason. They get rid of them in response to a promise that Paul receives from an Angel of God. Let me say that again - they get rid of these things in response to a promise from God. Somewhere along the line, they make a crucial decision to trust in the God who can save them and not in the things which cannot. As their focus shifts, their perspective does too, and they are able to assess the needfulness of these items. As they do, they decide the things aren’t as important as once thought. Storms clarify.
Now one thing that is not lost on me is this - I am quite sure the next time these sailors get on a boat, there are lifeboats and wheat. It isn’t like they decide they never need these things again. But what I’m hoping happens is they see them in their proper context. And I'm hoping the same is true for us. There are things we may tend to put our trust in as we go through storms, things that are not God. And as He leads us, it might become very clear we need to throw those things overboard, as it were, because we realize they can’t help us and that only He can. But then, later on, He may give those things back to us. If and when He does, our challenge is to remember that they are still of no real value and that we must keep our hearts and minds fixed on Him, even being prepared to throw them overboard again, if need be.
Today, spend some time thinking about the last storm you went through. Were there things you had to throw overboard? Has God given them back? Are you inadvertently shifting faith and focus from Him to them? Now is a great time to reaffirm your trust in Him, while maintaining thankfulness and perspective concerning the resources He's given.
Scott Smith
Connection and Growth Pastor
Sweet Aroma
As I look back over my life, I realize that it was in and through the most challenging storms that God allowed for the deepest transformation. One of those seasons occurred over the course of three years during which time we had a premature child, walked through ten months of cancer with my dad which ended in his death, moved across the country, fully renovated a house to keep from losing it during the real estate crash, and waited for my husband to return from a seven-month deployment to Iraq in the middle of wartime. As I look back at this season though, these challenging events are blurred by watching our child grow into a healthy boy, sweet memories of experiencing a new part of the country, recounting precious stories of “Papa” with my boys, deep moments of prayer for my husband's safety, and getting to experience the welcome home embrace. Don’t get me wrong; there really isn’t much in me that invites a storm. Yet, nothing compares to the sweet aroma that follows.
God does something inside us during a storm if we are willing. In order to allow that transformation to occur though, we have to let go and relinquish control. Author David Benner says, “the abundant life promised us in Christ comes not from grasping but from releasing. It comes not from striving but from relinquishing. It comes not so much from taking as from giving. Surrender is the foundational dynamic of Christan freedom.” To live as Christ intended is to experience the freedom that comes from letting go!
In Acts 27:21-26, Paul tells his shipmates to not fear; the storm would likely ruin their ship, but it would not ruin them. Paul did not deny the reality of the storm but instead embraced the fact that God would get them through it. They had to come to the realization that their ship would be destroyed, they would go without food and no matter how hard they tried, the storm was inevitable. They had to choose whether or not to believe the message that had been spoken to Paul, embrace God’s word that they would survive, and let go of control, or fight to the bitter end and further endanger their lives.
I would guess that there are many storms in your life that you would prefer to forget. Take a moment to think about how God was forming you in and through those trials. Where did he show up? Can the difficult memories exist as a colorful backdrop to the beauty of God’s provision? Don’t let the bitterness of difficult memories prevent you from recalling the sweet aroma that follows the storm.
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling
Storms in Every Story
I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I was rolling in that aluminum can of a catamaran, rocking and rolling with the swells, on the southernmost point of the Cape of Ayalak in the North Pacific. Our boat captain, Tim, was a bear of a man and had seen far worse than what we were in.
And yet, the terrified tourists that we were ferrying around the Alaskan coastline were none the wiser. All they (and we) knew was that they couldn’t hold down their lunches. Many had never been on the open sea aside from their cruise ships - some hadn’t even been on a boat! But here they were receiving a warm welcome from the North Pacific off the Kenai Peninsula.
Sensing the need to lighten the mood, Captain Tim chimed in over the intercom: “Heh,” he chuckled over the intercom, “if the coastguard knew about these conditions we wouldn’t be out here right now.” Needless to say, the wide-eyed terror and utter silence from the tourists confirmed the suspicion that they did not share Tim’s sense of humor.
Our response to life’s storms is similar to those tourists on the boat: we are wide-eyed, embarrassed by our lack of preparedness, uncertain of what our next course of action should be aside from throwing up. Lacking any clear course we sit in panic and perhaps a mix of shame wondering where our lives went wrong.
But what Tim knew, and these tourists didn’t, was that choppy waters and stormy conditions were just another part of the ocean. Whether calm or choppy, the sea was all acting within its nature. Nothing was wrong as long as you had the right man at the helm - even if that man seems to have a propensity for going out in stormy conditions.
Life is full of storms. Just as the sailors of Acts 27 were caught in a storm by their own arrogance, ignorance, and negligence - but also by an act of nature - we too often find ourselves in the storms of life.
But unlike the response of those without hope - we understand rightly that life is full of rough seas. What we cling to are the promises of God that stand regardless of life’s circumstances. Just as Paul received a message of hope in the midst of utter despair, so we too cling to the hope of Christ on the cross, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” (Heb. 6:19).
Ryan Lunde
Young Adult Ministry
Resistance
Our culture loves a good underdog story. Whether it’s on the football field, in pop culture, or in entertainment, we love to see the unlikely hero triumph against the odds.
And yet, even though we love these sorts of stories, in theory, we actually hate being the underdog in reality. We cling to power, the upper hand, the favorable ground. We posture for the most influential seat at the table or the most powerful place in the organization. This is what we do when we operate by the world’s wisdom or by our own flesh’s agenda.
But God’s people are indeed called to be the underdog - for He Himself was the original underdog. Though he was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-encompassing, God took on the form of the most humble man in the most humble of circumstances and through that form triumphed over all the powers of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
His followers are called - and empowered - to do the same. But how are we to effectively resist the powers of this present evil age? The example of Paul and his followers here helps give us a picture of how to do that.
Firstly, they didn’t let the numbers sway their conviction. Rather, like Elisha, they knew there was no reason to be afraid “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” (2 Kings 6:16). At a moment’s notice, the armies of heaven are ready to respond to the call of King Jesus (Matthew 26:53). Numbers are of no significance to the Lord or His people.
Secondly, the rage of the crowd did nothing to intimidate them. For they knew that even though “the kings of the earth rise up and the ruler's band together against the LORD and against his anointed… The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them,” (Psalm 2:2-4). What point is it for the world to rage and the nations to plot in vain when King Jesus is already installed on the throne? (Psalm 2:6)
Thirdly, they were aware that God uses what looks like defeat for his own certain victory. Nothing can prevent his victory! Rather, he uses “all things” (Romans 8:28) to serve his purposes. Not even sin and death can prevent his triumph (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)! Even if Paul and his companions were to die, they would die with the knowledge that their deaths would only serve to advance the Gospel.
May we join them in their fight against what seems like overwhelming odds - but in fact is a battle that’s already won!
Pastor Ryan Lunde
Young Adults
Revival
I hear a lot of people talking these days about our country needing revival, bringing prayer back to schools, etc. I don’t disagree but I wonder when we talk about those “big” issues if we are diverting attention from the individuals who need a revival in their lives first. What about you and me?
David writes in Psalm 51:10 (KJV), “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” That needs to be part of our daily, personal renewal. As Christians, we need to be seeking a clean heart daily. We need to have a desire to have a renewed and right spirit. Before we can be concerned about our corporate prayer and worship, we need to make sure things are right within us. Before we can concern ourselves with a revival of the church in the entire nation, we need to look inside ourselves and ask is there a revival within me? Do I need God’s help to give new energy to my faith walk? What do others see when they see me? Am I different or do I just blend in with the crowd?
Maybe instead of waiting for a revival to happen, we should be the revival! Maybe we need to break out of old habits and routines, listen to what God says when we seriously pray Psalm 51:20. Do we mean it? Do we want a spirit aligned with God? Do we want to have His heart for people? It might require sacrifice on our part. Be ready. Do people tell me they see something different in me? In other words, do they see compassion for others even during their own trials, joy, and peace, etc?
I know this one thing to be true. When I pray for people and ask the Lord to bring me opportunities to make a difference, He never says no. This is a hurt and dying world we live in, and people hunger for the hope we have in Jesus. We are meant to reflect that eternal hope.
Are we ready to make the changes He reveals to us to have a renewed spirit? Can we make a vow to step out and be Christians of purpose? I am asking these same things of myself as I write this. Remember this song?
“Pass it On”
"It only takes a spark
To get a fire going
And soon all those around
Can warm up in its glowing
That's how it is with God's love
Once you've experienced it
You spread His love to ev'ryone
You want to pass it on!"
Maybe you and I can be the renewed sparks that get the fire of revival in our church, community, and nation going, let’s pray we can!
Deb Hill
Executive Assistant
Repentance
Many of my heroes growing up were professional athletes. Some were great examples to follow and some were probably not the best to follow. When I was in little league I would roll up my sleeves like Bo Jackson, in basketball, I would wear the knee support just like Michael Jordan, and none of those things gave me the ability to do the things those guys were able to do. Of course, I hoped they would! Some people in Ephesus mimicked leaders similar to what I had done, but they had different expectations than I did.
Some people saw the power of magicians, priests, the Apostle Paul, and even Paul’s handkerchief to heal the sick and cast out evil spirits. They tried to follow and do the same thing (Acts 19:11-16). The problem was they forgot the real power was from God and not the people they emulated. A severe incident of trying to use the power they didn’t have, left a few beaten and in fear from trying to do something they couldn’t (Acts 19:16). A radical change was needed in the hearts of the people, so the lives of the people could be fixed.
The incident became known all around and it caused something to happen that was needed- repentance. A radical change of heart, because they realized there was something wrong in their practice before God. This led to a few simple steps that show how repentance is not just a little course correction, but a complete turnaround. First, the people confessed (Acts 19:18), they did not hide or pretend nothing happened, they shared it to start the process. Second, they disclosed the things that were causing problems between them and God (Acts 19:19). Third, they severed their tie with the scrolls and the thinking that played a part in their sin (Acts 19:19). Three simple acts were more powerful than the things they were trying to do.
The power is not ours it is God’s (Acts 19:11). It is God’s unfathomable kindness that calls us to repentance (Romans 2:4). It is Jesus who takes away our condemnation (Romans 8:1). Why because he loves you, he loves us (John 3:16). His love, his kindness, his Son, and his power allow us to repent and be transformed by grace. I learned to stop trying to be like Bo or Mike and start being who God has called me to be. It was a process of confession, disclosure, and severing ties with the lie’s I believed. If you need some help in the process, we are here to help.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor
Recognition
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” wrote Socrates. I think we all know just how true this is. For instance, 20 years ago I had no idea what issues of sanctification I would be struggling with today, and while by God’s grace I am making good progress in a lot of areas, there are (and this is what surprises me) new areas I knew nothing about before He revealed them to me. In fact, had I tried back then to predict what I would be battling now, I see that I would have been completely wrong. I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
I think the same is true for the believers living in Ephesus at the time Paul visits them in Acts 19:11-40. They are trusting in Jesus for their salvation from sin, but they are still mixed up in a variety of sinful lifestyle choices (their areas of sin range from generic “practices” or “sustained wicked doings” to specific “magic arts”). And while I obviously can’t say for sure, it’s my belief that they woke up in the morning on the day mentioned in verses 17-18 and thought they were doing pretty well in their devotion to Christ, and probably couldn’t imagine that there would be any major areas of sin needing to be dealt with. (Along the lines of “You don’t know what you don’t know,” I remember a friend who became a Christian in college and thought for a long time that living with someone and having pre-marital sex was okay. It wasn’t until someone pointed out the Biblical teaching that my friend realized this to be unacceptable behavior for a Christ-follower. My friend simply didn’t know!) But all of that changes for these first-century Christians when God deals with their hearts somewhere in the middle of these two verses!
A wise pastor used to say that we are all “better than some and worse than others.” How true that is. And what’s also true, as this passage points out, is that we are often unaware of the areas where we are deficient in our measuring up to the perfect and righteous standards of our holy God. Because of that, it’s so important that we remain sensitive to His working in our lives by letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16), by letting the word of God judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart (Hebrews 4:12), by asking the Holy Spirit to search us and show us those areas of our lives we do not know are areas of our lives (Psalm 139:23-24), and by doing what Pastor Jeremy is going to write about tomorrow.
Your assignment today is to pray for a sensitive heart that responds correctly when God gives you recognition into areas of your life needing attention and of which you were previously unaware. I know, I know, it takes courage sometimes to face new areas of growth, but God is a merciful revealer of these kinds of things.
Scott Smith
Connection and Growth Pastor
Recognition
I can remember getting a magnifying glass as a kid, going out in the warm Southern California sun, and burning up a group of ants as they marched along the sidewalk. I was awestruck by the way the magnifying glass worked – taking light rays in, refracting them so that they all converge as they exit, and in so doing making objects on the other end look bigger than they actually were. The longer I live, the more I’m convinced that every human heart comes with a magnifying glass attached to it.
Here’s what I mean by that… we were made to magnify. We are designed to gaze upon things that enlarge them to the point where they consume and direct our lives. Now, this is part of God’s good design for us because we were made to magnify him. Just like Adam and Eve in the garden, we are wired for worship. We are created to magnify God and in so doing, eat from the tree of life. However, in our sin, we turn the magnifying glass on other things. The Scriptures refer to this as idolatry. John Calvin famously stated, “the human heart is a factory of idols.” Every heart has a magnifying glass.
For many of us, we magnify ourselves and enlarge our own lives. This shows itself in pride, arrogance, the pursuit of pleasure, or obsession with monetary gain. However, in Acts 19 we see the church magnifying someone else. After a demon spirit beat up a group of people (you should probably go read Acts 19:11-16!), listen to the way the people responded in Acts 19:17, “This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.” Their first response was fear, but their second reaction was to magnify Jesus.
I love the picture of the people being in fear and pointing their magnifying glass toward the Son of God. To magnify Jesus means to lift him up, to enlarge him; not to literally make him bigger (that would be impossible), but to make him larger in our sight. In order to do that the Ephesians had to get their eyes off of other things. They had to confess their sin and divulge their evil practices (Acts 19:18). That’s the other side of magnifying something, you have to minimize other things. That’s why magnifying Jesus is challenging for many of us.
Today, Jesus is inviting us to magnify him and to bow in worship. He’s calling us to have a unified affection for him that’s not split between him and other gods. He’s challenging us to take our fears and bring them to his throne confessing our wrongs and receiving his forgiveness. Read Colossians 1:15-20, pick out a few lines, and use them as a prayer to magnify Jesus.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
Response
I once had a neighbor who attended Emmanuel Faith and who really did a great job of reaching out to the unchurched who lived in his neighborhood. I’ll never forget one account he told me about a friend of his. My neighbor had spent months, and maybe even years, investing in friendship evangelism by attending parties thrown by this man, by inviting the dude to parties at his house, by casually chit-chatting, and by establishing a regular Saturday night dinner date where he and his wife would go out with the other guy and his wife, along with whoever else was available. (Now about this point you might be thinking, “That’s great, Scott, but where are you going with this, and how is it related to Acts 17:16-34?” That’s a great question! Let me show you...)
On one of the Saturdays that the couples were scheduled for dinner, EFCC had a Men’s Breakfast with a speaker and a gospel presentation. Because my friend had built up enough credibility with his unchurched neighbor (i.e. my neighbor had established that he wasn’t some religious weirdo but was indeed a normal person), the unchurched neighbor accepted the invitation to the breakfast. And so off they went at 7:30 in the morning for breakfast and a lecture (isn’t that how a lot of our unchurched friends think about sermons and messages?). The morning went off as planned, including the gospel invitation. As they were driving back home, my friend asked his neighbor what he thought about the gospel and the claims of Christ and salvation. Do you know what his neighbor said? Of course, you don’t! So I’ll tell you. He said, “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” To which my friend almost immediately replied, “So, where are we going for supper tonight?”
So why do I tell this story? Here’s why - We don’t all have Paul’s and Silas’s calling. If you look at Acts 18:1 you’ll see that he leaves the region after the gospel is rejected by the great majority of those who heard it. And if you look at Acts 18:5 you’ll see that Silas and Timothy joined him shortly thereafter. Unless you are a traveling evangelist, your calling is to stay and live around the people who reject the gospel when you share it with them or invite them to come to hear it shared at some event. (In fact, check out Acts 17:34. I wonder what life was like for Dionysius and Damaris and the others mentioned? Their calling, like my neighbor’s, was to continue with engagement among the rejectors.)
My question for us as we head into the weekend is this - How do we respond to gospel rejections? Do we give up on people and write them off? Or, like my neighbor, do we stay engaged and involved, recognizing that the journey from unbelief to belief is longer for some than for others? Unless you are planning to change jobs or move to a new neighborhood every time someone rejects your gospel presentation and invitation, this is something you have to give prayerful thought to. How will you handle rejection?
Hey, hope you have a great weekend! I’ll see you Sunday.
Scott Smith
Connection and Growth Pastor
The Call
Have you ever spent time waiting to be called? Did I make the team? Is “he” or “she” going to call? Did I get into the college of my dreams? I’ll never forget the hours of sitting by the phone, yes, a real landline attached to a wall, waiting for a call from the Forest Home Jr. High Summer Staff Director. The waiting was agonizing! I just longed for one call confirming whether or not I got the job. These human experiences of being called require hope, expectation, and maybe even a willingness to be disappointed. Each also largely depends on our experience, expertise, and human earning.
A very different kind of calling, a calling of invitation, occurs in Acts 17 as Paul addresses the Areopagus. He has a message for the people of Athens: their time of ignorance is over, repent, they are being called! Verse 30 says, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” God Almighty was calling Gentiles into a personal relationship with him! The Mystery of Jesus Christ was being revealed! What a glorious moment that must have been for those who had eyes to see!
Author Os Guinness says, “Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service.” That kind of loving, devoted relationship is God’s deepest longing for his beloved creation. He is saying come to me, repent, and let me show you a better way.
At the end of Acts 17, some did repent and fell into the strong and loving arms of their gracious and compassionate Lord. Yet sadly, some mocked, denying the power of forgiveness that comes from a perfect God.
Have you heard the call of God in your life? Are you willing to repent, trust and follow? Salvation doesn’t require experience, expertise or earning. Calling comes through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ as he reaches out and invites you into a personal relationship with him. Are you ready to answer the call?
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling