Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from March 31-April 6 are written by David Son, who serves as the college pastor at Symphony Church in Boston. David, a graduate of UC Berkeley (B.S.) and Gordon-Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), was recently married to Grace.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Acts 13:1
Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Manaen. His name is only mentioned once (right here) in Scripture. But there is something interesting about Manaen: he was “a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch.” Other translations read, “brought up with Herod the tetrarch.” This is the very same Herod who beheaded John the Baptist, and later handed Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified. While Herod and Manaen grew up together, they chose very different paths. Herod heard the message of the gospel numerous times, having personal encounters with both John the Baptist and Jesus; yet at every turn, he rejected the word of God. Meanwhile, his friend became a prophet/teacher in the church at Antioch. Yet despite their differences, Manaen and Herod were “lifelong friends.”
There are at least two things we can learn from this short passage. The first is that salvation depends on our response to the gospel. The second is that friendship does not.
I have to admit that I’m guilty of severing more than a few friendships based on their lack of response to the gospel. Instead, I tend to draw ever nearer to those whom I deem spiritually mature. There’s a constant temptation we face to place value on people based on their spirituality. What many of us can learn from Manaen and Jesus is that while salvation requires faith, having faith (or lack thereof) is not grounds for exclusion. The real issue is how we can befriend the “Herods” of our lives without compromising our commitment to Christ. Today, let’s pray for the humility to live this way.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be salt and light in this world. Teach me to see people the way You see them. Holy Spirit, grant me the humility to love my friends and family as I love myself. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 15
Lunch Break Study
Read: Matthew 9:9-13: As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. ’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
Questions to Consider:
- Why did the Pharisees find it strange for Jesus to call upon Matthew and also eat with “sinners”?
- What do you think “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” means?
- Who do you relate to in this story, the Pharisees or the “sinners”?
Notes:
- Jesus was a Jewish teacher (a rabbi). During those times, rabbis did not associate with sinners. Furthermore, they certainly did not pick their disciples amongst sinners. Instead, rabbis would only select the elite students of God’s Word, who demonstrated outstanding knowledge of the Law and lived accordingly. But Jesus was a radical rabbi in that He not only spent time with the social/spiritual rejects, but also called upon them to follow Him as His disciples.
- Jesus is quoting Hosea 6:6: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Sacrifice and burnt offerings represent the ceremonial responsibilities of the priests. It was essentially the “program” of the temple, which the priests were in charge of administering. What Jesus is saying is that having good programs and good administration not as important as mercy/steadfast love.
- It’s easy to relate to the sinners, because we need only to receive grace. It’s much more difficult to admit that we are sometimes the Pharisees, because we need to receive humility. But Jesus’ words are crystal clear: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Evening Reflection
Spend a little time this evening praying for your friends, especially those who have yet to know Jesus. Perhaps God is asking you to have a shift in attitude towards these friends.
In our passage this morning, Herod, a persecutor of the church, is judged by God. The people flatter him in a blasphemous way, he receives the glory due to God, and he is subsequently struck down.
During one trip to China, I was reading John 3 (being born again) with a young man who was a member of the Communist Party. I asked him what he thought about the passage, and he said he needed God to make him into a new person. Tentatively, I asked him if he wanted to be born again right then, and he said “yes.” So shocked by his response, I almost asked him if he was sure; instead, I led him in the sinner’s prayer.
We live in a world of violence. In the West we can easily forget this, but recent tragedies in Paris and Brussels bring this uncomfortable reality to the forefront. Violence can possibly invigorate a movement; it can also destroy a movement.
According to the Catholic Church, the seven deadly sins are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. While we will readily confess to some sins on this list, others we may admit, though with reluctance or a bit of embarrassment. But there is at least one which we tend to be completely blind to— greed.
Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from March 21-27 are provided by Pastor Jason Sato of OTR in Cincinnati. Jason, a graduate of UC San Diego (B.S.) and Westminster Theological Seminary in California (M.Div.), is married to Jessica, and they have two young children: Jonah and Lily. 
The Holy Spirit, the gift of God that was given to the Jewish believers at Pentecost, is now given to Gentiles! Peter was there, yet even he sounded shocked. The Jerusalem church was so amazed that awkward silence filled the room before they could process what has happened and properly glorify God.
After the household of Cornelius receives the Holy Spirit, the circumcision party is deeply offended. This is ridiculous. People were saved and the circumcision party is worried about the quality of Peter’s dinner guests?
Over the last few days, we have been able to focus on Peter’s vision and how Peter responded to that vision. Today, we see the culmination of Peter’s vision and preaching as the Gentiles receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the first time. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Gentiles found themselves “speaking in tongues and extolling God” (v. 46), completing their full inclusion into the family of God.
One of my favorite things we do at Tapestry LA Church is what we call “Threads.” Our members share personal stories during Sunday service to the power of God in their lives, as they testify to God’s rescue, healing and restoration. I love to hear the many ways God is at work in the midst of our church family.