I'm Troubled
I'm troubled. Seems like every day we read about one religious leader or group going after another. That's troubling. More to the point, however, is the drag these fights are on our witness within the community and congregation. Which still doesn't bring me to my trouble. In Acts 23 ( read it here ), Paul is promised by God that he would preach in Rome. God gave Paul a clear message and call for the next period of his life. Wow! How exhilarating that would be; a clear call for courage to reach people for Christ. I wonder if Paul slept well that night or spent the night checking Orbitz or Travelocity for the best route to Rome. The next morning, however, not one, not three, but more than 40 Jews reportedly swore an oath to kill Paul. That surely would have thwarted God's plans. But God wanted Paul to preach in Rome, so he protected him starting with a nephew's report to Paul (vs. 16), the commander's listening ear (vs. 20) and the commander's order for p