Heralds Digest

“And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭21:30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.21.30.nkjv Paul consented to the idea of political purification in order to satisfy the concerns of the elders, in addition to his undisputed obligation to fulfilling all righteousness. However, the purification process was almost completed when the angry Jews stirred the mob action that led to Paul's arrest. Human intervention in all purification or sanctimonious dedications introduces serious complication in every effort to make peace among people of diverse political divides. Therefore, the seven-day cleansing ritual, coupled with a significant amount of discipline and dedication, was truncated; thereby denying Paul the privilege of a clearance to remain in the temple. What a painful take back for someone who previously held the right to drag believers out of the temple? However, ...

“So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭21:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.21.14.nkjv Situations with strong conflict often arise from the submission of divergence in the perceived view of divine guidance at home and in the family of God's people. Many often query "does God always have multiple wills at every point in time?". The revelation of the danger in the planned return of Paul to Jerusalem had been confirmed both in Tyre and Caesarea. But the interpretation became diverse from the submission of Paul's commitment and the disciples' conviction. In times of diverse submissions in resolving commitments and the challenges of life, the ability to determine when and how to cease pushing for admission of superior submission is vital. Continuous pushing creates tension and the opportunities for expression of unhealthy and unholy hostility. The devil is always at the vanguard of foreclosing the sensi...

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.20.28.nkjv The helping hands of Paul have taught the elders from Ephesus the secret of more blessedness in giving than receiving. Paul subjected his body to labour in order to both take care of his needs and the needs of others. However, the parting exhortation to the elders appears to reveal additional insight on the priority of a helping heart before the possibility of sincere and stable helping hands:..."take heed to yourselves". Every helping hand is powered by a consistent helping heart. Hearts that have been graciously trained to be humble, heavy, and harrowed. Unfortunately, most sincere helping hands are distracted from the primary responsibility of taking care of their hearts, especially when the various field training opportunities are m...

"And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.”...And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭20:9-10, 12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.20.9-10,12.nkjv Justification for chaotic situations and circumstances in all affairs of life, like the catastrophe caused by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and most of the developed nations' territories and Virgin Islands, are always difficult to explain, especially when victims are engulfed while on goodwill missions for humility and humanity. Oftentimes, believers appear to be ignorant of the devices of the enemy and his corresponding evil missions. While Paul was carried away with the mission to leave a parting note of co...

“For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭19:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.19.24-25.nkjv A genuine pursuit of God always comes with notable opportunity cost. For the converts in Ephesus, the gain of the grace that brings salvation was sufficient reason for the destruction of their curious arts until the provocation from Demetrius created a stir. The basis of this stir represents a predominant influence in the comparative assessment of the different types of gain in various circles of life. Even in the gospel or general trade of life, the pursuit of the will of God becomes complicated when human considerations of prosperity overrides the divine interest. Whereas, the scriptures recommend the priority of godliness over all greedy considerations, incl...

“And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭19:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.19.15.nkjv 'No Name' is a common brand in the North America commodity market. And generally, No Name is synonymous to low-quality products, commonly patronized for their low price advantage. However, no one goes for No Name when quality sincerely matters. Comparatively, the evil spirit in Ephesus make bold to declare the seven sons of Sceva as No Name, and never in the class of Paul or those who have earned the right to use the name of their Master Jesus Christ to exorcise evil spirits. While the context - to exorcise evil spirit - can be rightly intended by the two brands, the content of No Name brand is not the same as that of all genuine brands. Eventually, the No Name contest in Ephesus led to the purging of the content of vessels, who would later be the medium for the message of salvation and deliverance. Unfortunately, the life ...

“And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭18:27-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.18.27-28.nkjv The ministerial challenge from Apollos' crossover from Ephesus to Achaia can easily be likened to a material change in curriculum, when promotion from a grade level to a higher grade is experienced. Although the idea of promotion easily comes with great excitement, there is a possibility of experiencing a panic attack with advances in the level of challenges in the school work requirements, especially when the only source of strength is based on human or natural abilities and intelligence. It is rightly said that "the will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you". However, a daily dose of God's grace ...