admin, Author at Cape Alliance Church

Acts 21:17-26 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 20, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: conflict, Rome, showing love

“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.” (Acts 21:17-26)

If the book of Acts were a movie or screenplay, this is where Act III would begin. The stakes are ramping up and getting serious. Paul, on his way to Jerusalem, arrives and connects with James and the elders in Jerusalem. All of Paul’s adventures are recounted and God is glorified. It doesn’t seem (at least from our vantage point) however, that they fully got the message that the Gentiles are a part of this too – or at least that Paul wasn’t trying to destroy everything that had been built thus far.

The elders respond by asking Paul to walk through the purification rituals with some others that had been in a vow, the thought behind this being that it will calm the Jews down as they learn about his ministry to the Gentiles. Culturally, we know that what Paul did was a huge affront to the Jewish culture and this is where the conflict begins to take shape. Even with the elders making sure to dot all their “I’s” and cross every “T” with the letter they sent, there was only hope that the Jewish majority would accept this and therefore accept Paul.

What Paul then did was to go along with the elders and purified himself along with the others. Was this an appeasement like what he criticized Peter doing in Galatians? It can look that way, but I don’t think so. I think this is more of Paul working so that the heart of his message is received by his brethren. An “all things to all people so that by all means” type of effort. Paul purifies himself to show respect to the Jewish traditions and get them to the point to where they may be willing to accept him and even accept the Gentiles that were now their siblings in the faith.

The purification was a step of love towards his own people, even though he knew they were going to have to swallow the hard truth that Gentiles were receiving the Holy Spirit as well. Would you be able to lovingly confront like Paul? Or would you avoid that conflict? Or forget the love part? Paul was in an impossible position, but he did everything he could with love. That’s a pretty amazing witness to the power of the gospel – especially considering what we know about Paul’s personality.

Acts 20:7-12 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 18, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: flexibility, Holy Spirit, long-winded preaching, miracles

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.” (Acts 20:7-12)

Paul was making his way back to Jerusalem, hoping to get there in order to celebrate Pentecost. Haste was fully his intention, as he wanted to sail past Asia (specifically Ephesus) to get to Jerusalem faster. Obviously travel back then was different than it is now, so it’s not like it was a few hours drive, but time certainly was of the essence.

I find that a peculiar detail when reading about sermon Paul gave that went on and on and on (and, by the way, those of you who think we are long winded preachers, we’ve got nothing on Paul!) leading to someone falling asleep and then falling out the window! Granted, he was sitting in a precarious position, but that was a long message! You can guess that message was going into at least its twelfth hour, and poor Eutychus fell asleep sitting at the window.

There are plenty of laughs that can be had at this story, but it shows us a deep and valuable lesson in regards to the Holy Spirit and His movements. 1) Paul was in a hurry to get back to Jerusalem, but his plan was upended by an longer than expected stay in Troas; 2) Paul was sensitive to the Spirit and prolonged his message even though he was the one in the hurry to get moving; 3) even after the sermon and reviving of Eutychus, Paul stayed around to fellowship; and 4) no one hurried out the door after it was over.

This tells me that we, as the church today, may be a little too wrapped up in being “timely”. We can’t start too early, but we have to be done with church by kickoff (I have seen people walk out of a church in order to watch a football game – on TV). If the preacher goes too long, then people make jokes about falling asleep (and many do fall asleep) and call them long-winded.

At our church, we work hard to respect the time demands on everyone’s schedule and practice our preaching craft to be efficient and succinct (if you can’t say it clearly in 30 minutes, you won’t be able to say it clearly in 45), while still leaving room for the Spirit to work and get what He wants out. But maybe we (the church universal) are a bit too rigid with our time allotments and expectations. Maybe we should open ourselves a bit more to the working of the Spirit on the timetable He chooses – maybe then we will be more likely to see His amazing work such as Eutychus experienced firsthand. Thoughts?

Acts 19:23-28 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 13, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: false gods, idols, memories, stones of remembrance, trinkets

“About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.” When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”” (Acts 19:23-28)

As if the seven sons of Sceva weren’t enough craziness to happen during Paul’s time in Ephesus, he gets into a situation that caused great confusion and commotion when he pitted up against the craftsmen who designed and created statues of Artemis for the city. I think this story is part of the reason Paul wrote the letter he did to the church in Ephesus later on.

One of the major themes that is repeated in the book of Ephesians is the idea of identity – who we are in Christ and how that fits into the world. Part of the reason Paul focused on this theme is because the city of Ephesus was deeply steeped into the worship of the goddess Artemis. With the city being a major cosmopolitan type of city, the Ephesians took strongly to their worship of Artemis. This caused struggles in the Ephesian church, as people were struggling to understand who they were in Christ, as opposed to Artemis.

This story in Acts 19 highlights this struggle and shows how tightly the people of Ephesus held to their false god. Thankfully, this conflict didn’t turn violent, but it certainly could have gone that way. Stories like this show us how far people can get pulled into false idols and worship of dead gods. The sons of Sceva thought they could play around in that territory with “power” and learned quickly there is only 1 with power. Here, we see the entire city trapped in worship of this false god.

The enemy is real and fighting with all his might for souls to destroy. This struggle is most certainly against the powers of darkness in the heavenly realms and they are still pulling out all the stops. People today may or may not be devoted to a specific false god (some certainly are), but everyone is trapped in idol worship – if not worshiping someone else, then certainly themselves. We cannot sit idly by without proclaiming the truth that can set them free. Share Jesus’ freedom and know it is their only hope!

Acts 19:11-20 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 11, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: evil spirits, Holy Spirit, seven sons of sceva

“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:11-20)

I am continually amazed at the power of the Holy Spirit at work, and seeing how effective and incredible it was working through Paul is the kind of stuff that makes you want to leap out of your seat and yell, “Go Team!” To bad they didn’t have those phone apps back then that allowed you to cheer through your phone so they could hear you. Think about it – the Holy Spirit made it so that all a person had to do was touch a towel that had been in contact with Paul’s skin to be made well! Wow! Clearly this power is not Paul’s (that seems a little far fetched to assume it came from him), as the power transferred through Paul into a piece of cloth. Very clearly the work and sense of humor of God.

To me, this is actually a pretty funny passage of scripture. The hubris and audacity of these 7 guys to speak to demons in their own power is almost laughable, if it weren’t so sad. They saw Paul’s actions and thought they could get in on this party under their own strength. Good luck, buddies! Obviously it was a complete failure and they put themselves seriously in harm’s way. Unfortunately, too many people in this day and age play around with demons and put themselves and others at risk. Without the power of Jesus (they HAVE to listen to Him), we have no weapons to fight the enemy. With Jesus, we have all we need.

Jesus is enough. His grace is enough. His power is enough. His love is enough. Are you willing to let it all in and let yourself go?

Acts 18:1-11 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 6, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional |

“After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” (Acts 18:1-11)

To me, it is fascinating to connect Biblical dots, so to speak. It’s fun to see Paul’s time in Corinth told through the book of Acts and then see Paul’s heart come through the letters to that church. He put a lot of effort into those people! He even took on a bi-vocational role to spend the time in Corinth that he did – the trade of tentmaking. Speaking from personal experience, bi-vocational ministry is difficult! Putting that much time and effort into something, especially something that can’t pay the bills, shows the importance and value he placed on his ministry role in Corinth. That’s saying a lot, and when the Jews had enough of him and reviled him for his work, even that didn’t stop him from his ministry.

He just turned and put his focus on the Greeks. Following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Paul planted an amazing church through bi-vocational efforts and relentless dedication. And yet he wasn’t alone. I love what God told him in the vision – I have many in this city who are my people – as this quickly became a community and family project. Both Jews and Greeks, men and women; people from all aspects of life came together, worked together, played together, and argued together in building up this church family.

This story puts real skin on what Paul says in 1 Corinthians – he planted, Apollos watered, but it was God who caused the growth. And He used regular people just like us working together. I hope this encourages you as much as it does me.

Acts 17:22-28 Video Devotional

Posted on Aug 4, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: athens, connect, culture, Paul, preaching, respect

“So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” (Acts 17:22-28)

This sermon is incredible in so many ways. What Paul does in reaching out to the Greek people is brilliant in both its efficacy as well as its poetry. What I love most about it is the introduction. Quickly and powerfully, Paul connects to his listeners with softness and respect. He acknowledges their different beliefs and doesn’t chide them for it, but honors them instead, recognizing their tomb to the unknown God and turning that into a positive strategy by offering to introduce them to that unknown God.

He spoke to them in their interests, culture and ways. So much today we tell people how they are wrong. We speak in memes, highlighting our point-of-view at the expense of others. We criticize and tear down so that we can build our argument. Paul brought peace instead of challenge, consideration instead of criticism and love instead of hate. This is a perfect example of being a peacemaker. Though some mocked him, others believed, but it was overall accepted by the Athenians. They listened and respected.

Amazing how this came from a man known for being a wrecking ball! It goes to show the value of being a peacemaker.

Acts 17:10-15 Video Devotional

Posted on Jul 30, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: Bible, exposition, interpretation, study, wisdom

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.” (Acts 17:10-15)

The church in Berea does not get much “screen time” in the Bible, yet their value to all churches and individual Christians should be crystal clear. As much confidence as we have in our training and experience, no pastor has ALL the right answers. In fact, we should be acknowledging with humility every day that we may not be right in our exposition. That’s a much better position to put oneself in when trying to exposit and teach a Biblical interpretation – remember, the only one with the completely correct interpretation is the One.

That said, good pastors work through the scriptures daily, seeking to go deep and discover God’s truth for themselves as part of their own journey, and many of us come up with solid, faithful teaching as a result. Yet, that is not enough for any particular church or individual believer. Each and every one of us believers need to be searching the scriptures on our own and praying for understanding through the Spirit and learning as much as we can. Do not just be a listener or spectator, jump into the game and learn on your own. Grow discernment and desire knowledge that leads to wisdom.

Just like the Jews that came to Berea to try and mess everyone up, that strategy is employed by the enemy today (think health and wealth gospel) over and over again. The ones who stay true and learn for themselves are the churches/individuals who will be best equipped to endure to the end and combat against the lies. So, in short, pick up your Bible and study! Have a great afternoon 🙂

Acts 16:25-34 Video Devotional

Posted on Jul 28, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: living it out, love your enemies, sacrifice

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.” (Acts 16:25-34)

Definitely not the first jail rescue performed by the Holy Spirit, but a very interesting one, to say the least. Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi after removing an evil spirit from a slave girl. They were beaten and thrown in prison; jailed in stocks. And then the two men prayed and sang hymns. Talk about an attitude of obedience!

The Holy Spirit breaks them out with an earthquake, but then a curious thing happens. Before the guys get out of the jail, they see the guard prepare to kill himself over his “failure”. Instead of running (the seemingly wise choice), they stayed provided a physical and spiritual rescue for the jailer. He then leads them to his house where his whole family gets saved.

Think about a situation you were in that you couldn’t wait to get out of. And then you had your chance to get out. Would you have stayed in for the benefit of the one who was holding you there? Paul and Silas nearly sacrificed themselves for the salvation of this man and his family. Talk about confidence in God! Paul was so confident in God’s plan that he didn’t think for one minute about himself or his safety, but about bringing peace to the enemy.

Would you be willing to risk your freedom (or your life) for someone who could be considered an enemy? That should be a difficult question to answer. But Paul showed us the way – not by our might, not by our power, but by His Spirit. Trusting in Christ is our only way to live with that kind of confidence in God and His plan.

Acts 16:11-15 Video Devotional

Posted on Jul 23, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: europe, Gospel legacy, greece, women

“So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:11-15)

Luke’s travel journals tell a much larger story than sometimes we think. Acts 16 is a good example of that – the story of Lydia’s conversion actually tells the first documented story of a person coming to Christ in Europe! Talk about an incredible legacy! Lydia’s not responsible for the entire continent’s Christianization, but being the first convert and providing an open door for more ministry is certainly a great start for a continent that holds some HUGE moments of history (good and bad) for our faith.

You have probably heard me say this before, but we are seeing as we walk through Acts a very clear recurring theme of God not showing partiality to genders, races, ethnic types, etc… God’s desire is that ALL people would know Him, and he is happy to highlight truly different people in some amazing and vitally important stories. From the Ethiopian on the road, to Timothy’s lineage and now Lydia (to name a few), God clearly has His sights set on men and women of all nations, economic status and backgrounds.

What does that mean for us? It means our witness should be much bigger than our friends who are just like us. It means that we should be friends with all different types of people, allowing God opportunity to use us for His glory to whomever He desires to bring onto your path. Are you friends with people who aren’t like you? Maybe someone of a different race or nationality? Or how about a different political persuasion? Or someone who has made significantly different lifestyle choices?

I hope that answer is “yes”, and I hope and pray that God uses you to share His love (as opposed to “His rules”).

Acts 16:1-5 Video Devotional

Posted on Jul 21, 2020 by admin in Video Devotional | Tags: legacy, timothy, women in ministry

“Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.” (Acts 16:1-5)

During Paul’s second missionary journey, he comes to the towns of Lystra and Derbe, thereby meeting a young man of a Jewish mother (who was a believer) and a Greek father. Meeting the dear, gentle-spirited Timothy, Paul was moved to bring him along and disciple Timothy into a young leader. We hear much about this young man in scripture and although he faces some intense trials and almost quits his post (some could argue he did leave his post) as the pastor in Ephesus. Yet, he led a fruitful, victorious life and (according to sources) died a martyr for Jesus.

One of the cool things to learn about Timothy is his maternal heritage. Both his mother and grandmother are named in the New Testament (2 Timothy 1:5) as his Christian legacy. They led by example and gave him a torch to pick up and run with. When Timothy was struggling, this legacy of women served as a reminder to him to fan the flame of the gift of God.

This serves as a reminder to us that however God calls us to lead and to whomever He calls us to lead, it makes no difference who we are: male/female, Jew/Greek, black/white, old/young, or anything else. God doesn’t look on the outside, He looks on the heart and places us in the situations He wants us. Paul told Timothy directly not to let anyone look down on him, but to lead by example (1 Timothy 4:12).

We are also reminded from the verses above of an interesting insertion in the text of Timothy’s late-in-life circumcision. This is interesting, because Paul notes in other places (specifically Galatians) that circumcising one’s self is not necessary for salvation. So why have Timothy circumcised? Why bend to the pressure of the Jews? By reading any other of Paul’s writings about the topic, it is clear that he does not bend to the pressure of the Judiazers, but focuses on salvation by Christ alone.

He has Timothy get circumcised because of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians – about being all things to all people so that by all means, he may save some. Timothy’s ministry included a lot of Jewish people, and Paul foresaw it being a hindrance to them if he was not cut. His circumcision would make it easier for some Jews to come to Jesus and learn the full truth.

That is a good note to us. As believers today, it is easy to push our rights on others – especially when we realize we do have it better. But pushing our rights (or perceived rights) on others usually tends to turn people away from us and Jesus, not towards. Maybe we could give up some of our freedoms for the benefit of others? Wouldn’t that be leading by example? I want to hear your thoughts! let me know in the comments.