Paul, in representing himself and giving a defense of the charges made against Him in Acts 25 and 26, does something that makes the governor of the Judean province, Festus, accuse him publicly of being crazy— he objectively articulates “his defense” without making it about himself, but rather, about the objective truth of Jesus Christ and the Way.

When we consider similar scenarios in our own lives, maybe not so intense, but scenarios nonetheless where we might be misrepresented, or face unfair treatment for being narrow and Christ-conscious- how do we typically respond? Do we see an opportunity to represent truth, or do we see an opportunity to exalt ourselves?

Paul didn’t try to manipulate, finagle, scheme, or exploit anyone in his audience to feel something for him; he did not curb his message to make it more palatable to those who would be offended; he didn't attempt to make it about himself and the injustice he’d experienced over the past 2 years. His defense was not about exonerating himself, which was something that he was capable of and could have very easily done.

Instead, Paul chose to set those things aside and double down on the one thing that had gotten him in trouble in the first place—the Gospel—specifically the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and the power of the transformed life Christ gives to both Jew and Gentile who turn from sin and trust Him.

In today’s lesson, we’ll talk more about how this mindset enabled Paul to see “his chains” as being a far better place to be than all of those people who were in that gathered assembly with Herod Agrippa II, in Acts 26.

In addition to this, we'll look at how much of the adversity you and I seem to face isn't really any kind of adversity at all, but the result of our response to our own idolatry.

Lastly, I'll give you 5 practical things I’m doing these days to cultivate and maintain the same Spirit-controlled mindset the Apostle Paul possessed.

Join me in listening today.

Note: This lesson is the 3rd part of the introductory series entitled: An Introduction to Philippians by Way of the Narrative Account of Pauls Ministry in Acts.

The reason we are taking the time to examine the Apostle Paul's life in Acts 16-28 is so we might have a more thorough understanding of the historical context for Paul's letter to the Philippians, and that in acquiring this understanding we might be better prepared to properly interpret the intent and meaning of Paul's letter to the Philippian believers.

This is a stand-alone episode; not part of the study we are doing in Philippians.

Much is happening in my life, mostly good, but it has gotten hectic. In this episode, I want to briefly share some updates on my father's health and where that journey has me with regard to the podcast and teaching ministry direction.

I’m finding that with all that is happening with taking care of Dad, my kids are a huge part of this. I could not do this without my son in particular.

But having the proper time to study for the podcast, while I continue to write and build the course on hermeneutics, along with being the parent that I know I need to be--it takes a great deal of time. I want you to know that I am not a polished Christian who has all of it together. I am instead a work in progress, and I make mistakes. I want, though, to prioritize what is right--including being a parent my children will learn Christ from. This ministry is always going to take a back seat to them and what my responsibility is as a parent, and finding that balance is a work in progress.

My dad is a full-time job for sure, but it's what God has called me to do. So, not to use that as an excuse, but to grow while also having to learn to balance all of this. Some might suggest I take a break and wait to pursue this upon his passing, when I'll have more time. But that's just not a solution I see as necessary.

Also covered in this episode, I give some perspective on how my study in Philippians is shaped by the narrative account of Paul's life. This is something we introduced in lesson one of our study, and will build on in lesson 2. But the more I dig into the text, the more I realize we need to spend some time here.

Here is a challenge to consider and think about. I've asked myself this very question many times too. But how often do you want to trust God? I mean, you have every intention of walking in the Spirit, but then something happens, a circumstance comes at you out of nowhere, and you find yourself angry, questioning outcomes, and anxious to figure out a solution to restore order to your life?

Sound familiar. Then stick around. This is something we are going to talk about briefly in this episode, and how the narrative account of Paul's life will challenge the source of our peace and joy by exposing what truly matters most to us. I want this to be encouraging. Paul’s way of thinking, as it pertains to his life in Christ, is at the heart of what he is able to trust Christ.

He understands his service, even slavery to Christ, as being liberation from sin’s destructive control and freedom from its condemnation. He knows that everyone, including himself, is a slave to or servant of something — Romans 6:16-17.

For Paul, he is now convinced that apart from Christ, life is pointless other than to obey whatever our self-deceiving flesh inclines our heart to pursue. This conviction guides everything he does now and motivates him to trust Christ.

HDM

You hear the expression — “Now more than ever” all the time, and a lot of people use it in an almost hyperbolic or even melodramatic way, hoping to capture your attention and make you consider something that must be addressed immediately —

Well, I suppose I'm doing a bit of the same, but it is indeed not a hyperbolic statement to say that, “Now more than ever, we as disciples of Christ must know what Scripture actually says.” Which is to say, we need to know how to read, study, and interpret Scripture accurately and discerningly.

In this episode, I’m going to talk about why learning how to intepret and find meaning in Scripture is not only possible, but absolutely necessary for every disciple of Christ to know how to practice. — you and I need to be practitioners of good interpretation.

I’m going to give you several important reasons why learning to be a good practitioner of biblical interpretation is important; so much so that this fall I’m going to be introducing a new and totally free course on being a student of the Word of God, which will have a special focus on biblical interpretation.

So join me today as we talk about this important subject— let’s go.

We know that the purpose of Scripture then can be summed up like this: it shapes our beliefs (instruction), exposes our sin and condemnation (conviction), guides us towards repentance (correction), and cultivates within us Christlike obedience (training).

In this lesson, we are going to break down these 4 specific things and what they mean for us.

This lesson will be a word study of sorts in the original Greek to help us gain better clarity about how practical and “profitable” God’s Word should be in our lives.

Let’s continue our examination of the importance of Scripture in the life of the believer— Committing to Scripture Alone in this 4th lesson in what has become a series where we are addressing the essential preeminence of Scripture in the life of the believer.

We know that too often, when we find a place of comfort or normalcy, we also become complacent, forgetful, and even careless and conceited.

And sadly, as believers in Christ, we lose our way, even forgetting the very power and impact the Scriptures have had in our lives.

Let's consider this question here—

If the Scriptures are not the final, infallible Word of God, if some group or organization declared itself the final curator of what is God-breathed truth and what is not, what would be our basis for practicing the Christ life?

Would faith in the person of Jesus Christ be the same? Or would it have evolved to include hundreds of add-ons?

Without Scripture, indeed, this, and many other things would happen that would totally destroy the gospel message, which is why the Word of God is always under attack.

Thankfully, as followers of Christ, we have access to the Word and the ability to understand it.

In this lesson, we are going to set the stage for understanding Paul's instructions to Timothy about how God’s Word is specifically “profitable” in the life of the beleiver.