Paul stood before the Sanhedrin with integrity and a clear conscience. When struck unjustly, he spoke boldly yet submitted to God’s Word (v. 5). In a moment of Spirit-led strategy, he used the council’s own division to protect himself (v. 6). Though surrounded by chaos, Paul wasn’t alone—the Lord stood by him that night and said, “Take courage… you must testify also in Rome” (v. 11).
God’s providence moved quietly but powerfully—from a listening nephew to a Roman escort of 470 soldiers. The road ahead was difficult, but God was guiding every step.
🎯 Theme: Take courage – Jesus promises we will testify for Him.
🌀 Reflection: When life feels uncertain or dangerous, are you looking for the quiet ways God is still at work? What would it look like to take courage today?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone this week with the words from Acts 23:11. Reach out to someone facing a hard road and remind them: Jesus stands by His people.
Paul stood on the temple steps and gave a defense—not by arguing, but by telling his story. He spoke of his Jewish upbringing, his zeal for the law, and his dramatic encounter with Jesus. His testimony was both bold and respectful, deeply personal and clearly centered on Christ.
But when he mentioned being sent to the Gentiles (v. 21), the crowd erupted. It wasn’t the story of his conversion that offended them—it was the grace of God going to people they didn’t think deserved it. The same gospel that saves also divides.
🎯 Theme: Paul was appointed to know God’s will and be His witness.
🌀 Reflection: Are you willing to share your story—even if it’s rejected? Have you grown cold to the grace of God being extended to those who seem far off?
💬 Mission Challenge: Write out or record a short version of your testimony. Share it with one person this week and pray that God would use it for His glory.
Paul knew danger was waiting for him in Jerusalem. Multiple times, the Holy Spirit—through faithful believers—warned him of what lay ahead (vv. 4, 11). But Paul’s heart was resolved: “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 13). His goal wasn’t safety—it was obedience to His Lord, Jesus Christ.
When he arrived, he tried to unify Jewish and Gentile believers, but rumors stirred, mobs formed, and Paul was violently arrested. Still, God was working. Even chains would not stop the gospel.
🎯 Theme: Paul was ready to die for Jesus, trusting the Lord’s will above all.
🌀 Reflection: Are you willing to follow Jesus even when it’s costly? What would it look like to surrender your comfort for the sake of Christ’s name?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage a fellow believer who is walking through a hard season. Remind them of the hope and purpose found in Jesus—He is worth it.
As Paul journeys toward Jerusalem, he takes time to encourage believers along the way—especially the elders from Ephesus. In his farewell, Paul reminds them of his example: a life of humility, courage, and faithful teaching. He says, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (v. 27) and testifies, “I do not account my life of any value…if only I may finish my course…to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24).
His words are heavy with love, urgency, and warning. Wolves will come. The church must be alert. But through it all, God’s grace will sustain and build up His people.
🎯 Theme: Being faithful to the end testifies to the gospel of the grace of God.
🌀 Reflection: Are you living with gospel urgency—serving, teaching, and finishing your race with joy? What part of Paul’s example challenges or encourages you most?
💬 Mission Challenge: Write down or pray over your personal mission—to live and speak the gospel. Ask God to help you “not shrink back” but keep pressing forward.
God’s Word is powerful—and when it goes forth, it exposes false religion, transforms lives, and causes real spiritual upheaval. In Ephesus, the gospel disrupts both demonic activity and economic idolatry. New believers burn their magic books (v. 19), and the name of Jesus is exalted. As the chapter says, “the Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (v. 20).
But not everyone celebrates. Paul’s ministry sparks a riot led by those whose profits were threatened. The gospel still challenges idols—whether carved in silver or hidden in the heart.
🎯 Theme: The Word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
🌀 Reflection: Is there anything you’ve been holding onto that competes with the Lordship of Jesus? What needs to be surrendered so His Word can prevail more fully in you?
💬 Mission Challenge: Share your testimony this week with someone—even briefly. The gospel that changed Ephesus is still changing lives.
23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
This is the passage we closed with in the adult Bible study at Christ Community last Sunday, and the beauty of it has captivated me. For context and to understand the magnitude of these verses, we’ve got to get the lay of the land in Exodus 1-2.
Genesis ends with all of Israel’s family (the person Israel, aka Jacob) in Egypt after God providentially took the evil done to Joseph by his brothers and put him in a position to “preserve life” (Genesis 45:5, cf. Genesis 50:20). God used Joseph and gave him the ability to interpret dreams, which let Egypt enjoy plenty when the world around them faced famine (Genesis 47:13-26). Joseph was second only to Pharaoh, and God preserved Israel (the Hebrews/people group), moving them to the land of Goshen in Egypt (Genesis 47:27).
Now, fast forward many generations there in Egypt and “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). This king found himself surrounded by God’s people who He had providentially made to be “fruitful” and “increased greatly”, growing “exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7, cf. Genesis 1:28). This king was worried about the position this great people group could put him in and was afraid of losing his power, so he decided to “set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens” (Exodus 1:11). He made God’s people His slaves, but “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad” (Exodus 1:12). Even in the midst of turmoil and trial, God was keeping His promise to Abraham that He would make his offspring number like the stars of the heavens (Genesis 15:5) and the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17), and bless all the nations of the earth through his offspring (Genesis 18:18, 22:18, cf. Galatians 3:8). In the midst of terrible oppression, He who promised was faithful (Hebrews 10:23, cf. Lamentations 3:22-23).
The trouble in Egypt rose to from oppression to murder and semi-genocide as Pharaoh commanded that baby Hebrew boys be cast into the Nile (Exodus 1:22). The bulk of Exodus 2 is God providentially saving Moses from death in the Nile, using that same river to float him to a life where he would be adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:1-10).
It’s an understatement to say that the Israelites were experiencing terrible things. Atrocities. Evil. Wickedness.
Sometimes, we find ourselves in times of trials and troubles when it seems like no relief is coming and that no one sees or notices. We can easily feel isolated and alone. These are the times when people begin to ask the question whether or not God cares or even knows — asking, why won’t He do something?(Psalm 10:1, Habakkuk 1:2-3)
This was surely how Israel felt by the end of Exodus 2. They “groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help” (Exodus 2:23). Just as the load of their taskmasters burdened them, they were burdened with grief and despair. Where was the God who brought them from a land of famine to the land of plenty? Why bring them there if only to leave them and forsake them? But God never leaves nor forsakes His people (Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Corinthians 4:9, Deuteronomy 31:6).
Look at what God had for Israel (and has for us) in Exodus 2:23-25.
“Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.” (v. 23b)
This wasn’t a formal prayer or some polished religious petition. It was a groan (v. 24) — a raw cry made out of desperation. Yet it came up to God. That is grace (Romans 8:26-27).
Their pain wasn’t lost in transmission or ignored by God. He’s not aloof or distant when His people suffer (Psalm 139:1-2, Exodus 3:7). Look at how David puts it in Psalm 34:17-18:
“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
The cries of God’s people — His children — always find His ear, even when our words run out and all we have left is a groan (Romans 8:26). We need to know that our cries don’t disappear into silence — they rise to God (1 Peter 3:12, Isaiah 65:24, Psalm 55:17).
“And God heard their groaning….” (v. 24a)
Let me say it again: God hears. He heard them, and He can hear you.
When the Israelites groaned under the weight of slavery, it didn’t go unnoticed. Their pain was not wasted. God isn’t like Pharaoh who heard and ignored. He is a Father who bends low to listen (Psalm 116:1-2, Isaiah 64:4). This should encourage us in prayer because God is never too busy, too disinterested, or too far away (Psalm 145:18, Jeremiah 33:3). He hears the whisper of the wounded and the shout of the desperate (Psalm 10:17).
“…and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” (v. 24b)
When it says “remembered” here, it does not mean that God is recalling something He had momentarily forgotten or lost track of. It means God was about to act (Exodus 6:5-6).
To “remember” in the biblical sense here is covenant language. It means God is faithful to what He has promised (Hebrews 10:23). Even after generations of silence, God had not abandoned His people or His Word. He made a covenant to bless them and bring them to the land He had promised (Genesis 15:18-21, Exodus 3:6-8), and He was preparing to fulfill it.
When we feel forgotten, we can rest in this:
“God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)
God made promises to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He remembers. He fulfills His promises (Psalm 105:8-10, Luke 1:72-73). Sometimes, we can almost be afraid to hope (maybe I’m speaking from where I am now), but God’s memory is perfect and His promises are sure.
“God saw the people of Israel — and God knew.” (v. 25)
These are some of the most tender words of all. God saw. He didn’t just hear — He saw their suffering, saw them (Genesis 16:13, Psalm 33:13-15). And God knew. He knew their pain, their burdens, their brokenness. This is the kind of knowing that moves the heart of God toward His people. It’s intimate. It’s personal. It’s the same kind of knowing we see in Jesus, who looked at the crowds and had compassion on them (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34).
You are not invisible to God. Wait, I need to say that to myself: I am not invisible to God. He sees. He knows. And because of Jesus — our Savior who bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4) — we can be sure that He enters into our suffering with us (Hebrews 4:15).
Exodus 2:23-25 shows us something precious about the heart of God. The Israelites were enslaved, burdened, and groaning under cruel oppression, yet God was not distant. He heard them. He remembered His covenant with them. He saw them. And He knew them.
The ultimate fulfillment of that covenant — the promise to bless all nations through Abraham’s offspring — was Jesus (Galatians 3:16, Genesis 22:18)! He is the same God — the covenant-keeping God who never changes (Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6) — who still hears, still sees, and still knows today.
These past three weeks have been some of the hardest in my life. Pain, immobility, weakness, and unknowns have left me stripped of my independence and strength. I have needed help to do the most basic of things. But what I’ve learned — or perhaps what I’ve been lovingly reminded — is that though I have limits, God does not. Though I am weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Though I have groaned, He has heard. Though I have wrestled in the dark, He has seen. And when I’ve felt confused, broken, lost, or even forgotten by doctors and insurance companies these last three days, He has known — not just facts about my situation, but He knows me because I am His (Nahum 1:7, John 10:14).
This is not unique to me. That’s who God is. He invites the weary and the burdened to come — to to a system or religion but to Him:
[Jesus said] “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
God isn’t merely aware of your pain — He cares (1 Peter 5:6-7, Psalm 55:22). He is not powerless to act — He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take on your greatest burden: sin and death. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). He died to pay for our sins, and He rose again to offer us life — real, eternal, abundant life (John 10:10, Romans 6:4). If God could hear the groans of Israel in Egypt and set in motion their deliverance through Moses, how much more should we see His heart in the Deliverer He sent us — Jesus.
So, what do you do when you find yourself groaning, crying out, and feeling forgotten?
You call upon the name of the Lord:
“For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
Salvation isn’t about cleaning yourself up or fixing your own problems. It’s about trusting the One who can save despite your need of cleansing and sin. The Bible says:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believer in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
This isn’t salvation from a mere problem or seeking to be lifted out of a trial. This is taking us and bringing us from dead in sin to alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). This is taking us from lost to found (Luke 15:24). This is taking us from the darkness and bringing us into His light (1 Peter 2:9, Colossians 1:13-14). If God can do that, what is a little trial or sickness or tribulation (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)?
So, if you’re weary — if you’re burdened — if you’re groaning under the weight of suffering — come to Jesus. He sees, hears, knows, and saves.
And for those who are already in Christ, let this be a fresh reminder: our God is not absent in affliction. He is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). His Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). And one day, He will wipe every tear from your eyes and swallow up death, pain, and sorrow forever (Revelation 21:4, Isaiah 25:8).
God opens doors, builds His church, and brings the right people at the right time. In Corinth, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, receives encouragement from the Lord (vv. 9–10), and sees both Jews and Gentiles believe and be baptized (v. 8). Even through opposition and legal pressure, the gospel moves forward.
Later, we meet Apollos, a gifted speaker with partial knowledge—until Priscilla and Aquila graciously guide him in the truth. God uses Paul the builder and Apollos the encourager (1 Cor. 3:6). Everyone has a role in the mission.
🎯 Theme: Do not be afraid – Jesus is with you and has many people in a lot of places.
🌀 Reflection: Are you more like Paul, Priscilla, or Apollos in this season? How can you faithfully do your part in strengthening others?
💬 Mission Challenge: Find a way today to encourage someone in their spiritual growth—share a Scripture, pray with them, or send a kind word.
From Thessalonica to Berea to Athens, Acts 17 shows how different people respond to the same gospel. Some oppose it (v. 5), some examine it eagerly (v. 11), others mock it (v. 32)—but some believe (v. 34).
Paul reasons from the Scriptures (v. 3), explains the gospel in the marketplace (v. 17), and proclaims the one true God before philosophers at the Areopagus (vv. 22–31). His message climaxes in the resurrection of Jesus, the assurance that judgment is coming and that salvation is available to all who repent (v. 30).
🎯 Theme: God now commands all to repent, for He has fixed a day of judgment.
🌀 Reflection: Which group in this chapter do you most relate to—skeptical, searching, or surrendered? How can your heart remain open to the truth?
💬 Mission Challenge: Share one verse or truth from today’s reading with someone you know who is curious or questioning faith.
The gospel reaches Europe in Acts 16—and God’s sovereignty is on full display. The Spirit closes some doors and opens another through a vision (vv. 6–10). In Philippi, the Lord opens Lydia’s heart (v. 14), casts out a demon (v. 18), shakes a prison (v. 26), and saves a jailer and his household (vv. 30–34).
Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, choose to pray and sing (v. 25). Their pain becomes a platform for praise and a witness that leads to salvation. Even injustice becomes an opportunity to defend the gospel and protect the young church (vv. 37–40).
🎯 Theme: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
🌀 Reflection: Where might God be using closed doors or unexpected circumstances to lead you or shape your witness?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone facing hardship today. Share how God has worked in your life during difficult seasons.
Acts 15 records the Jerusalem Council, where the early church had to answer a crucial question: Is Jesus enough? Some said Gentiles had to follow the law of Moses to be saved, but the apostles stood firm—salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone (v. 11, Ephesians 2:1-10).
The result? A joyful affirmation of the gospel and practical steps to preserve unity between Jewish and Gentile believers. Even when disagreements followed (vv. 36–41), the mission continued. Grace held them together and moved them forward.
🎯 Theme: Salvation is by grace, not by burdening others with the law.
🌀 Reflection: When differences arise, do you fight for grace and unity? How does the gospel shape your convictions and your conversations?
💬 Mission Challenge: Encourage someone in your church family today—especially someone different from you. Affirm your shared hope in Jesus.
Just Keith Harris 