July 21 | Stand Firm Be Bold

DATE: July 21, 2024
THEME: Stand Firm Be Bold
SCRIPTURE: Acts 22:30-23:11

Paul stands before stubborn religious legalists to try and give a testimony of God’s goodness, but all they want to do is abuse him, kill him, and dishonor him publicly. He begins his word with a declaration that he has lived his life in good conscience to which the High Priest, unbeknownst to Paul at the time, instructs the man near Paul to strike him in the mouth as a declaration of accusation of blasphemy and lying. To which Paul retorts a truthful and prophetic curse upon Ananias. Paul is told his error of cursing the High Priest and Paul apologies. This is where we center our teaching…how do you honor and respect people and entities not worthy of honor and respect, but submit to these authorities as God has instructed? “We salute the rank not the man", as the character Winter’s spoke in the HBO mini-series, “Band of Brothers.” This gives us a clue how to honor someone’s position and authority though not honoring their character or behavior. Paul shows us what it means to “Stand Firm, Be Bold, and Remain Resolute in Jesus".