Hope for a Better Life

1 Kings 17:1

“1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 

Elijah’s name meant “Yahweh is my God.”  In some versions of the Bible it is spelled Elias.  The Hebrew spelling of his name is Eliyyahu.  Elijah was a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah.

Elijah prophesied to Ahab, the bad king, that God would prevent the rain and even the dew from falling for three years because of the sins that Ahab committed. Because of the sins of Ahab, the entire nation of Israel suffered.

We may think that our sins are private, and that no one else suffers, but our sins are like ripples on a pond, reaching ever outward beyond us.  

Because of God’s grace and mercy there is hope for a better life.  If we ask God for forgiveness and turn away from our sins, our relationship with Him will be restored and we can move forward in a new and powerful way.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Hand of God

 1 Kings 16: 31-33

“31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as his wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him. “

Ahab was a bad king.  The writer of 1 Kings regards him as Israel’s worst king.  His offenses included marrying Jezebel,  a Sidonian princess, worshiping Baal, and making a sacred pole. Sacred poles stood upright and were made of wood.  They represented Asherah, a Canaanite goddess of fertility, whose worship involved ceremonial prostitution.

How is it that any leader of the Israelites could worship any god but the one true God?  How is it that he did not know or care about Moses and the experiences of the Hebrews in the wilderness; the conquest of the promised land; or the glory of King Daivd.  All these things could not have been accomplished without the guidance and the power of the one true God.

Can you look back over your life and see the hand of God?  Can you see instances of God’s love and forgiveness during the course of your lifetime?  Have there been times when you know God intervened?

Would we ever forsake such a God?  

Or would we serve Him forever with gladness?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Paul in Rome (Part 3)

 Acts 28:30-31

“30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”

So, Luke’s history of the early church and the Apostles ends.  I think you will agree that Luke took us on quite a journey.  

In Acts, Luke taught us the power of God in the lives of believers; the power of the life and the teachings of Christ in His disciples; the power, the passion and the vision of those indwelled by the Holy Spirit; and the power and influence of just one person used by God.

The story that began in Jerusalem with the confused and fearful disciples, ended in Rome with Paul teaching and proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ….. with boldness and without hindrance. 

Some scholars say that Paul’s mission and his life ended in Rome by beheading after the two year period that Luke mentions (62 AD), and others say there is evidence that Paul was released and traveled to Spain, then back to Rome where he was beheaded (64 AD).  

Whichever is true, this we do know: Paul’s love for God, his passion for Christ, and his influence on the Church still live.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Paul in Rome (Part 2)

Acts 28:23-28 

23 They [the Jewish leaders of Rome] arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say,“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 

If you have a New Revised Standard translation of the Bible, which is based on the early Greek manuscripts and is the preference for most biblical scholars, you will notice that this section ends at verse 28, then resumes at verse 30 (which we will look at tomorrow).  Some later manuscripts of Acts included another verse (verse 29) which read, “And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, arguing vigorously among themselves.”

I don’t doubt that Paul’s statement in verse 28 triggered some consternation among his Jewish listeners.  Paul was never one to mince words.  He wanted the Jewish leaders to know who Jesus was, the importance of His life and teachings, how Christ was the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.  

Some were convinced, but many were not and this frustrated Paul.  

There are people in this world that will never believe.  There are some who say they believe but do not.  There are those who believe but they are lukewarm in their faith.  

But the sower is to keep sowing…no matter how hard or rocky the ground.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Paul in Rome (Part 1)

Acts 28:16-22

“16 When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. 17 Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to release me, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor—even though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 They replied, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

Paul arrived in Rome under house arrest.  He immediately assembled the Jewish leaders and told them that he had been arrested unjustly and handed over to the Romans by the Jews in Jerusalem.

It is surprising to us today, in a time when texts, email and social media make news instantaneous, that the Jews in Rome had heard nothing of Paul or of the uproar he caused in Jerusalem.  They had received no letters or reports on the issues concerning Paul.  

But, they wanted to hear what Paul had to say about Christianity, because they had heard about this “sect” and knew that Jews everywhere spoke against it.

If Paul had not assembled the Jewish leaders in Rome, he might have had an easier time at his trial, but that was not Paul.  Paul felt called by the Holy Spirit to give his witness to Jews and gentiles, and that is what he did (as we shall see).

God calls us into His service, to be witnesses of and to live out the gospel message at all times and in all places.  

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Journey to Rome

Acts 28:11-15

“11 Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; 13 then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.”

Paul found believers in Puteoli, and in Rome who showed him hospitality, gave him fellowship, and courage to face the days ahead.  These were believers that Paul had not met, had not led to Christ, or had not baptized.  Some other, unknown disciple of Christ did that.

Most Christians labor in anonymity, working tirelessly not for an earthly reward, but for the privilege and love of serving Christ, doing the work of Christ tirelessly and silently.

Yes, Christianity owes a great deal to the Apostle Paul.  But Christianity also owes an equal amount of gratitude to those unknown disciples who taught us, preached to us, loved us, coached us, baptized us, sang with us, cried with us, and gave us courage to face the days ahead.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Malta (Part 2)

Acts 28:7-10

“7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. 9 After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.”

Paul healed the father of the chief Roman representative on the island.  The word of this spread and the rest of the people who were sick went to Paul and were healed.  

Paul, who suffered from an ailment that he called a “ thorn in his flesh”, who could not persuade God to rid him of this ailment, healed all those who came to him through the power of God.

God had His reasons for not healing Paul and for allowing all those on Malta who were diseased to be healed by Paul.  Somehow this served His good purpose.  

Sometimes it seems that our prayers are unanswered while the prayers of others are answered.  But this is no reason to be discouraged or to give up or to stop praying.

In those times remember Paul, who was a prisoner because of unjust and unfounded charges, who suffered from a “thorn in his flesh” that God would not remove,  who was on his way to Rome where the Holy Spirit revealed he would be imprisoned and would suffer.  

This same Paul prayed for and healed an entire island of people… in the name of  the just and loving God that he knew, and spoke about, and served all over the known world; the God that transformed him spiritually and gave him the gift of salvation.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Malta (Part 1)

Acts 28:1-6

“After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. 3 Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”

Just when everyone was feeling safe, Paul was bitten by a viper.  All the natives of Malta who witnessed this saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand and recognized the snake as particularly deadly.  All of them thought Paul would die.

The citizens of Malta thought that Paul, recently rescued from the sea, must have been a very bad man who deserved to die.   They reasoned that since he did not die in the sea, he was destined to die on land for his crimes.

When they saw that Paul simply threw the viper into the fire and suffered no ill effects, they thought it was a miracle and they mentally “promoted” Paul from a murderer to a god.

The truth is that Paul was truly once a bad man.  He was a chief persecutor of Christians and caused many to be imprisoned, suffer and die. But then he met Christ and his life changed.  From this experience, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Paul had met Christ and become a follower of Christ, a new creation.  Everything of his old life had passed away, and he was living a new life,  a life in relationship with God.  

The miracle that the people of Malta witnessed that day was not the miracle of the snake bite.  It was the miracle of God’s love and mercy.  

It was the miracle of a life transformed.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Storm (Part 5)

Acts 27:39-43

“39 In the morning they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if they could. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea. At the same time they loosened the ropes that tied the steering-oars; then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef, they ran the ship aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none might swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest to follow, some on planks and others on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.”

The day broke and the ship’s crew spotted an unknown land with a bay and a beach.  And “hoisting the forsail to the wind, they made for the beach.”  Luke, the writer of Acts, was not only a physician but he must have also been a sailor at some point in his life.

The beautiful bay with the beach called to them, but they struck a reef and ran aground where the ship was broken into pieces by the force of the waves.  The soldiers actually wanted to kill all the prisoners fearing they would somehow escape.  If the prisoners escaped, the guards would face death as punishment.  Julius the centurion stopped this plan, and Paul and the rest of the prisoners and crew made it safely to shore on planks and pieces of the ship.

Paul’s life had been a roller coaster ride since that fateful day, so many years ago, on the road to Damascus when he had met Christ.  

Christ does not promise us smooth sailing.  He does not promise us that everyone will love us.   He does not promise us prosperity or material wealth.   He does not promise us the thrills of high adventure.  

He does, however, promise us forgiveness of our sins when we repent, a relationship with God, and an everlasting life.  

And that is thrilling enough for me.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Storm (Part 4)

Acts 27:33-38

“33 Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.” 35 After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves. 37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons in the ship.) 38 After they had satisfied their hunger, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.”

The image of Paul, breaking bread and giving thanks to God in the midst of a horrific storm, not only encouraged the 276 persons on board the ship, but it still inspires us today.  

Paul’s courage and example during such a time lifted the spirits of the passengers and crew, and they too began to eat.  Paul knew what lay ahead and everyone was going to need all of their strength.  

Paul was a servant of Christ no matter the circumstances, no matter the location, no matter the people.  He was always a willing example, always the disciple.  

Christians cannot leave their faith or their service or their example in the church.  We are called to be in the storm, breaking bread, being the calm, offering the peace and light of Christ to others.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Storm (Part 3)

Acts 27:27-32

“27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 But when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and set it adrift.”

Despite that Paul had told them they would survive the storm, the sailors tried to abandon ship and leave the soldiers, the cargo, and the prisoners (and Paul) to their fate.  Paul, seeing what they were up to, informed Julius, the centurion and he had the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boats on which they had planned their escape.

During the storm, Paul rose to the occasion, giving advice, encouragement, and information to the centurion, the guards, and the sailors.  In the storm, Paul was an example of Christ.  Even so, he was wise to the ways of men and he was not easily fooled by the sailors.

Christ told His disciples “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”.

Being a follower of Christ means that we know Christ but we also know the world and the evil that can lurk in human hearts.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Storm (Part 2)

Acts 27: 21-26

“21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. 22 I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we will have to run aground on some island.”

No one likes to be told, “I told you so.”  This seems like what Paul was doing, but when he said “You should have listened to me,” he was in the process of reminding them that God was with them, and that they would survive the storm, even though the ship would be lost.  Paul was giving them the insight that God had given him.  

God told Paul how the storm would end and Paul gave this information to the people on the ship.  The ship would sink, but no one would lose their life.  The crew, who had been fearful, now knew the end of the story and should have taken great comfort in Paul’s words.  But we will see that they did not.

Christians should know the end of their own personal stories (they will be with God) as well as the story of the culmination of time (Revelation 21).  Because we know the end, we should be the most joyful people on the face of the earth.  In the end, we are with God where there is no more pain, no more tears, no more suffering, no more death.   

But, in this life, we are doubtful, we are fearful, and we are angry….because of the storm.

Instead, let us celebrate.  God is with us in the storm.   And we know how the story ends.

Praise God!

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Storm (Part 1)

Acts 27:13-20

“13 When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. 15 Since the ship was caught and could not be turned head-on into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. 16 By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. 17 After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and so were driven. 18 We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, 19 and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.”

The sun and the stars had disappeared, and as the tempest raged all hope was abandoned. 

Luke’s description of the storm has an awful, poetic beauty.  Through his first-hand account, we get a sense of what it was like to be on board that ship, physically and emotionally. Unfortunately, a lot of us have been through tempests such as this, just not on a ship.

If we live long enough, we will all go through such tempests of life, in which we try to salvage our lives by throwing things overboard.  In such times we realize what is important and what is expendable, in such times we question and evaluate our lives.  In the darkest days, when the sun and the stars disappear, we may begin to lose hope.

But there is always hope.  Christians have an eternal hope, a hope that cannot be blown away by the most severe storm.   Christ commanded His disciples to “remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

Christ is with us always….even in the storms.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Trusting in God

 Acts 27:1-12

“1 When it was decided that we were to sail for Italy, they transferred Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, named Julius. 2 Embarking on a ship of Adramyttium that was about to set sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul kindly, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 After we had sailed across the sea that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind was against us, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. 9 Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest.”

Paul warned the centurion that sailing at that time of year was very risky to cargo and to men.  The centurion listened to the person he thought was the expert, the pilot of the ship.  

The pilot was normally a man with intimate knowledge of the waters he was sailing, and as such was responsible for the safety of the people and the ships. The owner of the ship, needing to get his cargo to market, may have influenced the pilot’s decision. 

The owner of the ship was driven by a material need to sail in uncertain seas.  The pilot was influenced in some way (money?) to approve the plan.  The centurion, a man of order and structure, followed the advice of the men in charge of the voyage.

Too often, we place our trust in the wrong things.  And stormy seas await us.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Higher Calling

Acts 26:30-32

“30 Then the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those who had been seated with them; 31 and as they were leaving, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.”

When we read that Paul could have been set free had he “not appealed to the emperor,” we wonder what would have been Paul’s fate had he been released in Caesarea.  Almost certainly the Jewish religious authorities and the group that had sworn to kill Paul would have taken action against him.  They were not known to let matters of religion drop.

The Holy Spirit had been giving Paul visions of Rome prior to his imprisonment by government officials in Jerusalem and Caesarea.  These visions made clear to Paul that he was to go to Rome to be a witness for Christ and that he would be imprisoned and he would suffer.  

Despite this, Paul insisted that his case be presented to the Emperor, thinking that he would be allowed to share his story and the gospel with the highest ranking official in the known world.

Paul was willing to suffer for the higher calling of God.  

Next to God’s purpose, his discomfort meant very little to him.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Sober Truth

 The Sober Truth

Acts 26:19-25 

19 “After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: 23 that the Messiah must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

24 While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, “You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.”

I used to work at a bread bakery during the summer months to earn my college tuition for the upcoming school year.  Each year, on the last day of work before I returned to school, a man who had worked at the bakery for 25 years would catch me before I left, shake my hand and say, “Lanier, don’t study too much.  If you do, you will get stupid. And time and the river will never be able to change you.”

Festus accused Paul of studying too much, having too much learning and being driven insane from his studies.  Paul simply replied that he was speaking the truth.

There is a saying that the truth will set us free.  In this case the truth caused the Governor to think Paul was crazy.

In this modern world where there are so many distractions, so many voices, so many “truths” being professed, the gospel of Christ doesn’t seem as crazy as it seems quaint and old fashioned to the non-believer.

But the gospel of Christ is still the sober truth.  And time and the river will never change that.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)