Facing a difficult situation

S: Acts 22

O: Paul used his audience’s heart language—Aramaic—to address the crowd, which immediately calmed them down. He then shared his background, establishing common ground with them. Things were going well until he challenged their prejudices by mentioning his mission to the Gentiles. At that point, their anger flared up.

Even after that, Paul continued using his background to his advantage—this time asserting his rights as a Roman citizen to prevent himself from being unlawfully flogged.

A: It makes sense to be culturally sensitive and to use our unique attributes (like Paul’s Aramaic-speaking ability, Jewish background, and Roman citizenship) to our advantage. However, that’s no guarantee of success. In the end, we must still speak the truth of the Gospel, even if it means rejection. And who’s to say seeds weren’t planted in the hearts of some that day? Even when people seem to reject the message, God may be working in ways we don’t immediately see.

P: Lord, help me to be wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove as I represent You to others. Give me discernment to know when to build bridges and when to stand firm, trusting You with the results. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What if I mishear God?

S: Acts 21

O: As we had already observed the last chapter, Paul was convinced that God wanted him to go to Jerusalem although the God also had warned him that suffering and jail awaited him there. In this chapter, it seems that God kept warning him not to go to Jerusalem – the disciples in Tyre “repeatedly told Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.” God even had Agabus travel to Caesaria from Judea to warn him, “The Holy Spirit says this: ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

Yet, Paul remained convinced that God wanted him to go to Jerusalem in spite of all those warnings that the Holy Spirit sent. So, he went. And, as the Holy Spirit had warned, Asian Jews stirred up the crowd against him and the Roman authorities were forced to arrest him.

Yet, this did not thwart God’s plan. As a result of that imprisonment for over 2 years, he wrote several of his epistles which we now have today in our New Testament. Also, it may be because of this imprisonment that Luke was motivated to write his 2 books to Theophilus in defence of Paul – what we know today as the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

Some Christians think that this proved that Paul was right – that God wanted him to go on to Jerusalem, and be arrested, which gave him time to write those epistles and motivated Luke to write the 2 books – imagine how different our New Testament would have been had Paul heeded those warnings and not gone to Jerusalem!

But if so, why did God warn him so many times not to go to Jerusalem? It could be that God had other plans for him, and there would be just as awesome epistles and historical books in our New Testament had Paul heeded the warnings and not gone to Jerusalem. Who knows? 🤷🏽‍♂️

Be as it may, as Paul himself wrote, “God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God is still in control although we have the free will to make our own choices!

Back when I was a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a lot of my friends were fans of the Babylon 5 TV series. Unlike most sci-fi series, this 5-year series was planned out by J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) from the beginning. He had all sorts of contingency plans in case of actors leaving, network interference, etc. And indeed, actors did leave. The network did interfere. But he could still bring the story to a satisfying conclusion after 5 years in spite of all that. I was too busy with my Ph.D. (and didn’t have a TV) to watch the series, but because so many of my friends were talking about it, I knew the general plotline.

After I submitted my Ph.D. dissertation, I took the opportunity to borrow the DVDs and start watching the series from the beginning, and when I watched the first episode, Vorlon ambassador Kosh arrives at Babylon 5, he sees Commander Jeffrey Sinclair and immediately reacts with shock, saying, “He is the one.” Because I had been listening to my friends talk about the series for 5 years, I was amazed – I knew that later, Jeffry Sinclair was actually Valen, the legendary Minbari leader who helped them win the previous Shadow War a thousand years ago. This happens when he travels back in time and transforms into a Minbari using a special device. The Vorlons, being ancient and aware of many timelines, already knew who he was when they first saw him in the present.

But this would not be revealed until 3 years later in Season 3, Episode 16! This in spite of Sinclair’s actor Michael O’Hare leaving after season 1!

What does this have to do with God? Well, in a small way, this illustrates how God can work everything out, similar to how JMS worked everything out, in spite of the free will of the actors to leave the show, etc.

Of course, JMS is not God (though he could be considered the god of Babylon 5, being the creator and showrunner of that series), but in a small way, it helps us see how God’s sovereignty and human free will can interact together in a non-contradictory manner. For the Bible makes it clear – God is sovereign, and yet humans have the freedom to choose to follow God or not to follow God. This has perplexed believers for millennia, and I don’t claim to have explained the whole thing here, but hopefully this helps us wrap our minds around it a bit.

So: was Paul supposed to go to Jerusalem and get arrested, and end up writing the epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon? Or was he supposed to have heeded the Holy Spirit’s warnings and not gone to Jerusalem, and we would have different epistles and a different book of Acts or maybe other books we will now never know about? Who knows? But we can still trust that God is still in control!

A: Even when I feel uncertain about whether I made the right choice, I can still trust that God is sovereign. Like Paul, I need to step forward in faith, seeking His guidance, but also knowing that if I misunderstand or misstep, He is still working for my good. Whether in my teaching, family decisions, or personal walk, I can rest in His control.

P: Father, help me to trust You, even when I second-guess my choices. When I don’t know if I’m making the ‘right’ decision, let me rest in Your sovereignty. Remind me that even my missteps are not outside Your plan. Give me discernment to follow Your leading and peace in knowing You are always in control. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Trust

S: Acts 20

O: Haha, Eutychus, patron saint of those who fall asleep in a sermon 😅. But God used Paul to raise him from the dead after he fell to his death 3 stories.

By the time he got to Miletus and met with the Ephesian elders, he alrady knew that jail and suffering awaited him in Jerusalem, but he was convinced the Holy Spirit was directing him to go there anyway, so he wasn't worried. As he wrote in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

As he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, when we are in Christ, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ"!

A: Like Paul, we do not have to fear death. We can commit ourselves to Him and not worry, because we have eternal life. As Jesus told us in Matthew 10, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

So let us surrender all to Jesus and trust Him to lead and guide us.

P: Father, help me to be appropriately bold and to trust You, to do what You call me to do. In Jesus' name, amen.

Channelling the miracles of God

S: Acts 19

O: This chapter is full of miracles. But while we often focus on the dramatic miracles—such as healings through Paul’s garments or the failed exorcism of the seven sons of Sceva—Acts 19 also shows how God’s power works through wisdom and restraint. The city secretary’s calm response to the riot is just as much a sign of God’s intervention, preventing chaos and promoting peace.

Even more remarkable is that the city secretary, though not a believer, played a crucial role in preventing violence. This reminds us that God’s work is not limited to His followers—He can use anyone, even those who do not recognise Him.

A: We may not face an angry mob, but we do encounter conflict—whether in family, workplace, or online discussions. Out of concern for the political situations in the USA, Malaysia, Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and elsewhere, I often share articles on Facebook. However, these posts sometimes spark heated debates among my Facebook friends and followers, both Christian and non-Christian. Like the city secretary, we have a choice: we can either fuel division or seek peace. Instead of escalating tensions, we can listen, de-escalate, and respond with God’s love.

Sometimes, we may assume that only Christians can do God’s work. But Acts 19 challenges this notion. Just as the city secretary promoted peace and justice despite not being a believer, people around us—whether they share our faith or not—may be doing God’s work in ways we don’t immediately recognise. We should be open to seeing God’s hand even in unexpected places.

Instead of dismissing those who believe differently, we can acknowledge the good they do and even collaborate for justice, peace, and the common good. In today’s polarised world, it’s easy to see those with different political leanings as enemies. But Acts 19 challenges us to see beyond labels and recognise the good that people do, regardless of their beliefs. Just as the city secretary upheld peace and justice without following Jesus, there are people—whether liberal or conservative, Christian or not—who are working for justice, compassion, and the common good in ways we may not expect.

Like the city secretary, we can be voices of reason in tense situations. Being a peacemaker doesn’t mean ignoring truth, but it does mean engaging with wisdom and love—choosing understanding over division. Whether in personal conversations, online discussions, or community efforts, we can reflect Christ’s love by refusing to demonise others and instead working toward reconciliation and truth.

P: Lord, sometimes I let my convictions bring me to anger and reply to people who believe differently harshly.

Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
where there is injury, your healing power,
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace:
where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light,
and where there’s sadness, ever joy.

O, Spirit, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace:
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving to all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Amen.

Faithful co-workers in the mission

S: Acts 18

O: Paul was not a solo act. God had a lot of others that he sent along to also share the Gospel. He met up with Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth. Later, when they found Apollos in Ephesus, it became clear that they had travelled there with Paul. After Paul left Asia Minor to return to Judea, they remained and continued the work, helping Apollos come to a fuller knowledge of the Gospel (since he only had known about John the Baptist’s work before that) and then Apollos went on to become the Billy Graham of his time. I daresay if they had had TV back then, Apollos would have become more famous than Paul.

A: Later, Paul tells Timothy, “the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) He was practising what he preached.

Remember, Paul was writing in a culture and language where male-centred expressions were the norm. A modern translation puts it as “the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others,” which conveys the same idea. Elsewhere in scripture, it makes it clear that these things applies to both male and female followers of Jesus. In fact, right here in Acts 18, we see Priscilla teaching Apollos.

So we need to be making disciples who make disciples. We need to be intentional about making disciples who make disciples, spurring one another on to love and good deeds.

P: Father, may I be a good disciple, and also a disciple-maker. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Take every opportunity to share Jesus’ love

S: Acts 17

O: The Berean Jews were more open-minded than the Thessalonian Jews, and examined the scriptures carefully to see if what Paul was teaching was in line with the word of God or not.

However, when the Thessalonian Jews went to Berea to stir up trouble, Paul departed for to Athens alone while Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea to continue teaching.

Thus, when Paul arrived in Athens alone, he noticed an opportunity in the altar dedicated to the “unknown god.” This approach aligns with what Paul later wrote to the Corinthians:

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:20-22)

A: We should not create artificial cultural barriers that hinder people from receiving the Gospel. We should engage with people where they are, in a manner that is winsome and culturally sensitive. 

For example, Hudson Taylor chose to dress like the Chinese rather than insist that Chinese Christians adopt Western customs. Similarly, Sadhu Sundar Singh dressed like an Indian holy man rather than conforming to British attire. Our goal is not to invite people into our culture but to lead them to Jesus, who transcends all cultures.

P: Father, help me to see the opportunities to share God’s love and transcend my own cultural barriers. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Not “kwai” (鬼) but “yen” (人)

S:  

Acts 16

O:

Acts 16 marks a significant step in the expanding reach of the Gospel. We see the Jewish Christian mindset evolving, realizing that God’s kingdom is not defined by ethnicity. Paul, though fully committed to salvation by grace through faith, still had Timothy circumcised—not for salvation, but to remove barriers to ministry among Jews.

The trajectory had already been set by Jesus, who welcomed the Roman centurion and the Syrophoenician woman. Then came the Great Commission, calling for all nations to be invited. Peter’s vision of the sheet of clean and unclean animals reinforced that no people were to be considered “unclean.” Paul and his team continued this mission, bringing the Gospel into Europe through the vision of the Macedonian man.

Jewish believers were not clinging to ethnic exclusivity—instead, they led the way in breaking down old barriers, even at great personal cost. In Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned for casting a demon out of a Gentile slave girl, an act that disrupted the economic interests of her owners. Yet, despite persecution, Lydia (a wealthy businesswoman) and the Philippian jailer (a Roman official) both received Christ with their families—further proof that the Gospel was for all.

A:

Just as the early Jewish believers had to confront their biases, we must examine our own hearts. In our predominantly ethnic Chinese churches, do we subconsciously hold prejudices against other races? How often do we use words like malai-kwai or keleng-kwai? These terms dehumanise people created in God’s image.

The people we label as “kwai” (鬼 – ghost, demon) are not spirits but human beings (yen 人). If the early Jewish Christians had clung to their racial superiority, the Gospel might have remained confined to Israel. Instead, they followed Jesus’ example and welcomed all. Likewise, we must consciously reject racist attitudes and embrace all people as God’s beloved creation.

P: 

Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Father, expose any prejudice hidden in my heart. Teach me to love as You love—to see all people, regardless of race, as worthy of dignity and salvation. May my words, actions, and attitudes reflect Your inclusive grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Note: I had ChatGPT edit the above meditation for clarity.