Acts 22 Today's Daily Bread w/ Journalin' too

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God Bless You Today, Lena B

Acts 22
1"Brothers and esteemed fathers," Paul said, "listen to me as I offer my defense." 2When they heard him speaking in their own language, F116 the silence was even greater. 3"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just as all of you are today. 4And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison. 5The high priest and the whole council of leaders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
6"As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8"'Who are you, sir?' I asked. And he replied, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.' 9The people with me saw the light but didn't hear the voice.
10"I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord told me, 'Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that you are to do.'
11"I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led into Damascus by my companions. 12A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man in his devotion to the law, and he was well thought of by all the Jews of Damascus. 13He came to me and stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And that very hour I could see him!
14"Then he told me, 'The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15You are to take his message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard. 16And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the Lord.'
17"One day after I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I fell into a trance. 18I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, 'Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them your testimony about me.'
19"'But Lord,' I argued, 'they certainly know that I imprisoned and beat those in every synagogue who believed on you. 20And when your witness Stephen was killed, I was standing there agreeing. I kept the coats they laid aside as they stoned him.'
21"But the Lord said to me, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'"
22The crowd listened until Paul came to that word; then with one voice they shouted, "Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn't fit to live!" 23They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air.
Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship
24The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. 25As they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, "Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn't even been tried?"
26The officer went to the commander and asked, "What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!"
27So the commander went over and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I certainly am," Paul replied.
28"I am, too," the commander muttered, "and it cost me plenty!" "But I am a citizen by birth!"
29The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Paul before the High Council
30The next day the commander freed Paul from his chains and ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council. F117 He had Paul brought in before them to try to find out what the trouble was all about.
FOOTNOTES:
F116: Greek in Aramaic.
F117: Greek Sanhedrin.


Lena Journals

As I read this today I realize that religion can actually be an enemy of faith, hope and love.
Religion can be a persecutor of those of a genuine relational faith, hounding them with guilt, shame and performance orientation, binding people up to a system of rules, rather than covenant relationship whose acts are based upon love responded to from a willing and willingly obedient heart. Religion is guilty of even delivering some to imprisonment out of obligatory duty that is void of faith at many levels, except for possibly faith in earning one’s way through one’s own good works of righteousness.
This person bound by religious duty, needs to be saved, freed from bondage and liberated inside of covenant relational kingdom love.
Light has to shine in this darkness, brightly enough for the one bound to even see they are bound.
This is actually the hardest bondage to be delivered from, as the religious one sees themselves and their works as good works that are right. Pride has become a glass that is seen through very darkly and deception a dark cloak over the eyes. Its lead is the way of death, and the victim does not even know it is so.
One must almost be stunned by THE voice of God Almighty and have a stopping Encounter with the Holiness of God, in order to see and hear the true words of the Lord, through this gross religious demonic dark cloud. It is the truth heard that offers and brings freedom!
When Saul was “arrested” by the Spirit of the Lord, he surrendered. He did not plan the Encounter, but when it came, he fell before the truth and gave up.
Giving up a religious lifestyle, filled with prideful arrogance and self sufficiency in good works, is a huge part of freedom and liberty. Huge.
One of the hardest issues to breakthrough to heal a human heart we experience in our congregations, especially in good ol’ Independent prideful USA, is that of a religious spirit, for a religious spirit, does not need anyone to tell them anything, so they cannot, and will not hear the words of freedom sent to heal and free them.
They already know, they have already been there – done that - and have many a T’ Shirt - on almost any word that comes from the pulpits of loving pastors. These pastors are so saddened by an unteachable religious audience, who does not receive, and therefore cannot believe truth. Religious people actually put up walls of protection against truth, guarding their hearts from being changed by the word of God.
A fault religion has left us with is being rebellious to any suggestion for change or movement. The deception, I am ok as I am, why do I need to do anything any other way, manner or form? I’ve done what I’ve done to at least get this far, why would I do anything differently? I’m already matured and experienced and do not need to follow any men (or women), people with skin on.
Religion resists following men, because they are merely human and many a time mistaken, This person does not even have a need to trust God, for they have it under control, through experience being the teacher, they have walls up so thick and bull dozer cannot even bring it down.
God Himself is shut out and there is a watchman guarding the gate to make sure no “intruder” comes through! Yeah I’ve heard that before is a famous line.
Or Yeah I know….I listened…..I heard it….
Never ever asking someone else if they might be wiling to tell us what we do not see for ourselves as we allow them to watch our backsides for enemies of a faith-filled relationship tended by God’s definition of maturing and gardening.
Independent, uncommitted, unteachable uncorrectable, on purpose!
Wow.