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“And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” It is interesting to note that Moses has a conversation (of sorts) with himself about what he is going to do. Whether he was actually speaking out loud is not the relevant point. One way or the other it is clear he makes a conscious decision to turn toward the bush. Another important observation is that God waits for Moses to turn before He speaks. I wonder how often I have noticed a sign sent by God, choosing to press forward instead of adjusting course for a closer look? It is not insignificant that Moses made a choice to leave his “typical” path to hear from God. He displays an effort which results in the reception of God’s calling; just as we must seek – make an effort, with purpose – God’s will in our own lives through diligent Bible study and prayer. Those who make their “own way” in life, oblivious to circumstances and situations God may use to guide us into service for Him make a grave mistake. Our burning bush may not be nearly so obvious, but it will certainly catch our attention. Be preparing yourself to “turn aside, and see this great sight” each and every day.

“For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.” We should pray that the things which were true of the Roman church are true of us. While Paul recognizes and commends their obedience, he also calls them to a higher level. Those of great Christian character don’t mature past simple obedience, they rather do just as the Apostle suggests; increasing their understanding of good, while further separating themselves from evil. The most Godly people develop an experiential ignorance of continual sin, and (at the same time) a keen, objective understanding of its lure, its affects, and its dangers. They do not forget the sins of their past or ignore the sins of present, but instead become more determined to rely upon Christ to overcome them. Their simplicity in matters of evil is not simplicity of understanding, it is simplicity of ongoing experience. I hope this passage will inspire all of us to greater obedience, allowing any discussion of the most Godly disciples to include us. My prayer is that we would have a vast knowledge of goodness, and profound hatred of sin.

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.” Believers always love their brothers and sisters in Christ. We fellowship with one another, encourage, and diligently pray for one another. When one of us needs help, we think nothing of asking the other, and provide the same assistance in return. We give money to church family in need and those that labor in missions or other vocational Christian service. We even sacrifice hours of our time discipling and caring for one another spiritually. What about laying down our “own necks”? Are we ready to hazard our lives to protect a brother or sister? True, those of us that live in the United States have little opportunity to do so, thanks to the wonderful blessing of freedom and liberty, but the key to the question is willingness. How far does our commitment to Christ go; does it lead us to the point of counting our own physical lives less than another’s? I don’t know that we can ever provide a preemptive answer. After all, Peter felt he would follow Christ even to death just hours before denying Him. This is a question that is considered deeply, and only answered at the moment of opportunity. Begin your considerations today.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” A man of God can present his people with the options, but he cannot force them to choose his path. The best he can hope for is an open ear, a tender heart, and a willingness to follow. I believe Joshua had all these desires. He had seen the people endure in a season of tremendous challenge, relying upon the Lord. His hope was that in their season of rest they would do the same. Joshua first appeals to their intellect, asking if it seems evil to serve the Lord. He also recommends reflection upon their path of disobedience, repentance and ultimate, victorious restoration. In the end however, he chooses to use his own family as an example. Joshua was reaping the benefits of faithfulness, and was eager to continue. As the leader of Israel, he was desperate to see God’s people make the same commitment. The challenge for us is to hear the heart’s cry of our Pastors and teachers, following their example of service. Joshua was not perfect in obedience, and our leaders will have some of the same failings. Ultimately the people leading are not the issue; it is the God to which they point that matters.

“Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.” Caleb is one of my favorite men in the Bible. He and Joshua stood alone for the Lord on the other side of the Jordan. It was not reckless bravery that caused them to believe Israel could win their battle with giants; they took God at His word. Caleb did what was “in his heart”. That is the main factor in any act of obedience. If our hearts are right with God, “wholly” following Him wherever He leads, we can expect ultimate success. You’ll notice that the time-line for this success was not exactly within the plans of the men who followed. I suppose that it’s human nature to expect things will happen right away, but God does not work in the realm of human time. His plans took forty years to carry out, and in a way, some of the promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled. It is not our job to counts days and weeks. We should instead live with the commitment of Caleb, to serve the Lord every day, with all of our heart.

“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” It would be an understatement to say the blessing of God upon Israel was “well known”. According to Rahab, even the fighting men of Jericho were terrified. However, their hearts did not “melt” because of the Israelite’s bravery and terror in battle. It was, in fact, cowardice that had stopped them from entering the promised land forty years earlier. Instead, it was the God of Israel that made their enemies fear. He had done many wonderful, and legendary works, which armies all around had noted. The military mind is pragmatic. It measures the skill of the generals, the discipline of the foot soldiers, the circumstances of the battle, and above all: the odds. If these factors are favorable, they march boldly into battle. It is only a supernatural force that can turn these considerations upside down. The God of heaven above and earth beneath was on the side of Israel, and it was clear they could not be stopped. What conclusion have you reached about Jehovah? Rahab made a decision, by faith, to trust in this “one and only” God with her entire life. I would encourage you to do the same.

“Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” There are numerous prescribed attributes for a Bishop in this passage. He must first hold firm to what he has been taught, showing both determination and knowledge. Some mistakenly believe the latter is enough. Bible college can furnish a man with facts, but it cannot endow him with courage to stand. This can only come as a result of character development above and beyond textual understanding. He should also be capable of using his education for both exhortation and Biblical defense. In this we more typically see an emphasis on the former. While mastering discipleship is a worthy endeavor for Pastoral ministry, one must also be ready to meet critical attack on the Bible. I point out these distinctions for the sake of often neglect. A Biblically learned man, able to encourage believers in teaching is a fine person indeed, but a Bishop must also have toughness, and sharp apologetics skills to succeed. Let’s praise God for pastors who have both, and pray the next crop chosen will too.

“And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.” Nothing has sparked more violence throughout history than the preaching of God’s word. We must understand that the enemy has worldly means alone to confront our Lord and His disciples. If men are obedient to Christ, his only recourse is to stop them. There is no philosophy or logic that can compete with gospel truth. This is why servants of Satan turn to intimidation, imprisonment, and murder. What they fail to understand is that God’s message cannot be stopped. They can kill Christians, burn Bibles, and destroy churches, but never prevent God’s will from being carried out in this world. Certainly we do not wish for this kind of violent rage against believers, yet throughout the ages it has served to greatly strengthen righteous resolve, and accelerate church growth. Men of God during Paul’s time in history faced the threat of death and kept preaching. What minor thing stops us from preaching today?

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” It has likely been pointed out a thousand times before, by preachers the world over. Believers we know today would never last through a service like this one. Complaints of all sorts would arise from the congregation about tired school children and sleepy husbands at the office. Even five minutes outside the regular routine is too much for many. Why then were the people of Paul’s day different? The answer is simple; they were not. We have the same living Spirit of God inside us, and can listen, stay awake and learn in the very same fashion. We are equipped, but without appetite, because we are too often without the Spirit’s filling. Total surrender to Christ will make our appetite for His word insatiable. Do we fear a lengthy sermon on Sunday? Perhaps it would be a good idea for us to examine our level of commitment. I’ll not advocate an after-midnight service every week, but thirty minutes extra now and then couldn’t hurt us a bit!

“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” Ministry is difficult work. The mind, will and spirit must be fully engaged for as long as it takes to get the job done. In this case Paul spent three days proclaiming God’s word to the Jews of the synagogue. He not only displayed proper commitment and enthusiasm, he also proclaimed the proper message. No doubt Paul was one of the most eloquent communicators of Bible truth that ever lived. We, however, do not need the same skill to be effective. It is the commitment and the message that is more important. Get to know your Savior and His word, then become a person committed to reasoning with others from the scriptures. The results of this three day engagement were wonderful. Both men and women believed on the Lord, and became partners in the ministry. No doubt these people touched other lives with the message, and perhaps we will never know what, in total, came from these three days. Let us engage in the work of ministry for any three minute, three week, or three year period God gives!