Today is July 15.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. 
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 21.  
 

When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!” 
 

The book of Acts tells us origin stories from the early church – and this one is daunting, unsettling. This is a theme that you see throughout the book of Acts. When the Gospel is preached, when God’s kingdom comes, it is received by many as God’s peaceable kingdom bringing about a new order. For others it is resisted with hostility and anger. Think about your own spiritual journey. When you first heard the message, how did you respond? With anger, hostility, resistance, or with open arms, and an experience of joy and peace? 
 
In another place in the book of Acts, Paul was criticized as “turning the world upside down” with his message. I love that. The Gospel turns the world, and our lives upside down. As you hear the passage again, think of one person that you know who needs their world turned upside down by the Gospel, and pray that they may have an open heart toward God and the good news.   

There was so much oppression, so much opposition, to the way of Christ. If you don’t experience that in your own life, consider that this is a normal experience for many followers of Christ around the world. Would you pray today for God’s grace over the gospel message in your life, in our city, and for those followers of Christ around the world who are persecuted for their faith? Pray for protection, for favor, for good soil, and for soft hearts as they share the upside down message of the gospel of Jesus.

Music: You Make All Things New - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)