Rev – The Bikers’ Church Pastor

Personal Reflections Along The Journey

Oil Change: Feb. 29 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 29, 2008
Acts 28:30-31 (nlt)

For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

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The End … Or Is It?

The way the Book of Acts concludes is puzzling. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Remember, it was written by Luke, a doctor, who was very focused on details. And yet, we are left with no answers to what happened to Paul, his trial, or even the early Church. There’s no “good bye”, no “And that is the end of the story.” Just one final statement about Paul living in Rome for two years and continuing to preach the Gospel.

As I mentioned yesterday, tradition does suggest that Paul was released from prison and did a fourth missionary trip. Paul seems to suggest this in his letter to the Philippians. In that letter, he explains that he hopes to be released shortly, and was planning on travelling to them.

Some believe that it is during a forth journey that Paul writes both 1 Timothy and Titus. Then, he was arrested again and brought back to Rome. During that second imprisonment, he writes 2 Timothy, which was the last letter he wrote.

We don’t know for sure. The Bible isn’t clear.

Perhaps the reason why it isn’t clear is because when you get right down to it, the book of Acts isn’t the story of Paul. It’s the story of the Church. It’s the story of how God used individuals to spread the message of good news to the world.

Maybe Acts ends abruptly because it isn’t supposed to end. Perhaps the story is to continue through us. We are part of the story and have the privilege of writing the next chapter.

I love how the Life Application Bible concludes Acts. Let me quote it for you:
“The book of Acts deals with the history of the Christian church and its expansion in ever-widening circles touching Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome – the most influential cities in the Western world. Acts also shows the mighty miracles and testimonies of the heroes and martyrs of the early church – Peter, Stephen, James, Paul. All the ministry was prompted and held together by the Holy Spirit working in the lives of ordinary people – merchants, travelers, slaves, jailers, church leaders, males, females, Gentiles, Jews, rich, poor. Many unsung heroes of the faith continued the work, through the Holy Spirit, in succeeding generations, changing the world with a changeless message: Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of all who call on him. Today we can be the unsung heroes in the continuing story of the spread of the Good News. It is that same message that we Christians are to take to our world so that many more may hear and believe.”

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

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This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 29, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: What’s Next?

The Oil Change
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Coming Next

Well, in the next day we will be concluding our study of the book of Acts. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing my thoughts.

I’m sure some of you are wondering where we will be going next. Well, rather than jump right into another book of the Bible, I thought I’d take some time to go over different stories, characters, and difficult passages. Then, after doing that for a little while, we’ll turn our attention to a specific book again.

So, I’d love to hear from many of you. Do you have specific questions about anything to do with God and spirituality that you would love to get my thoughts on. I truly mean anything. No question is off limits or too silly.

Also, are there specific Bible stories, passages or characters that you would love to see us cover?

In some cases, we’ll cover something in one day’s devotional. Other times, we may dwell on a specific area for a few days.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions and will do my very best to cover as many of them as possible.

Rob

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 28, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 28 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 28, 2008
Acts 28:23-28 (nlt)

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes-so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

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Final Words

Today we read Paul’s final words – or at least the last words recorded by Paul in Acts. We don’t know if they were truly his last words or not (many theologians argue that Paul was actually released and did a fourth missionary journey after this passage – we’ll talk about that tomorrow).

However, they are his final recorded words. And in his final words, he once again shares his faith with his Jewish peers. Some receive, so do not. But he shares nonetheless.

Paul was one of those characters that is difficult to truly define. He cannot be labelled very easily, and it is hard to put him in one type of “box”. As soon as you thought you had him pegged, he would do something totally different and surprise you again.

He is a guy that saw his own failings. He never hide them, never excused them away. In his own words, he was the “greatest of sinners. Undeserving of grace.” And yet, he discovered forgiveness in God.

His changed life is the ultimate evidence of what he experienced. He had found forgiveness, and lived his life like one who had found forgiveness.

What can we learn from his life? Well, I think the answer to that depends on you (and me). Perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn is simply this: God can use anyone. Including you and me.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 28, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 28 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 28, 2008
Acts 28:23-28 (nlt)

So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes-so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’

So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

Quick Links…

Join Our Mailing List!

Final Words

Today we read Paul’s final words – or at least the last words recorded by Paul in Acts. We don’t know if they were truly his last words or not (many theologians argue that Paul was actually released and did a fourth missionary journey after this passage – we’ll talk about that tomorrow).

However, they are his final recorded words. And in his final words, he once again shares his faith with his Jewish peers. Some receive, so do not. But he shares nonetheless.

Paul was one of those characters that is difficult to truly define. He cannot be labelled very easily, and it is hard to put him in one type of “box”. As soon as you thought you had him pegged, he would do something totally different and surprise you again.

He is a guy that saw his own failings. He never hide them, never excused them away. In his own words, he was the “greatest of sinners. Undeserving of grace.” And yet, he discovered forgiveness in God.

His changed life is the ultimate evidence of what he experienced. He had found forgiveness, and lived his life like one who had found forgiveness.

What can we learn from his life? Well, I think the answer to that depends on you (and me). Perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn is simply this: God can use anyone. Including you and me.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 28, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 27 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 27, 2008
Acts 28:17-22 (nlt)

Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel-the Messiah-has already come.”

They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

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Always The Evangelist

It really is difficult not to admire Paul. From the moment he turned his life over to Christ, he has been persecuted by his old friends. He has been attacked, falsely accused, beaten, put in jail, etc.

Now, he is in Rome. He is under the protection of the Roman authorities. I don’t have time to go into a lot of details of how “house arrest” worked under Roman law, but suffice it to say, Paul can pretty well come and go as he pleases until his trial gets under way.

So, what does he do? Does he focus all his time with the believers who met him at the docks? You know, the ones who encouraged and blessed him? Does he spend his time hanging with the Roman guards, knowing that their job is to protect him as well as to guard him?

No. He goes right back to the very people who have been persecuted him since the beginning. Amazingly, the Jews in Rome had not been informed about Paul’s actions. So what does Paul do? He fills them in!! And then he tells them that he has something to share with them.

What the heck was he doing? Suddenly, he’s opening the door to possibly more persecution. Sure, the Jews would not have done much to Paul while he was under the protection from Rome. But in opening the door, Paul was given them the opportunity to formulate more accusations to use at his trial.

Yet he doesn’t seem to care about that. All he cares about is sharing the message of God’s grace with them. He wants to give them the same opportunity he had – to change his beliefs. To discover the Messiah. To be set free.

You have to admire that.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 27, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 27 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 27, 2008
Acts 28:17-22 (nlt)

Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel-the Messiah-has already come.”

They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

Quick Links…

Join Our Mailing List!

Always The Evangelist

It really is difficult not to admire Paul. From the moment he turned his life over to Christ, he has been persecuted by his old friends. He has been attacked, falsely accused, beaten, put in jail, etc.

Now, he is in Rome. He is under the protection of the Roman authorities. I don’t have time to go into a lot of details of how “house arrest” worked under Roman law, but suffice it to say, Paul can pretty well come and go as he pleases until his trial gets under way.

So, what does he do? Does he focus all his time with the believers who met him at the docks? You know, the ones who encouraged and blessed him? Does he spend his time hanging with the Roman guards, knowing that their job is to protect him as well as to guard him?

No. He goes right back to the very people who have been persecuted him since the beginning. Amazingly, the Jews in Rome had not been informed about Paul’s actions. So what does Paul do? He fills them in!! And then he tells them that he has something to share with them.

What the heck was he doing? Suddenly, he’s opening the door to possibly more persecution. Sure, the Jews would not have done much to Paul while he was under the protection from Rome. But in opening the door, Paul was given them the opportunity to formulate more accusations to use at his trial.

Yet he doesn’t seem to care about that. All he cares about is sharing the message of God’s grace with them. He wants to give them the same opportunity he had – to change his beliefs. To discover the Messiah. To be set free.

You have to admire that.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 27, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 26 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 26, 2008
Acts 28:11-16 (nlt)

It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island-an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead. Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days. From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

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Landing in Rome

I am struck by the incredible closeness the early church believers had with each other. When you think about it, these believers in Rome really didn’t know Paul. It is unlikely that any of them (with the exception of maybe a few) had ever met Paul face to face before now.

And yet, as soon as he arrives in Rome, they are there to greet him. Not only did they greet Paul, they invited him into their homes. They loved on him and treated him like family.

The result was Paul being greatly encouraged and blessed by their actions.

As a Christ follower, we are part of a much larger family. A lot of church people miss this point, and they hunker down in their little group and ignore the bigger Church.

However, when you open your eyes and see the greater Church at work around the world, it is amazing to realize that there are people in every country who consider you and me their brothers and sisters. We are family. We are connected spiritually.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced it, but I have. I’ve shown up in a strange place, and met another believer. Within minutes, you feel like you’ve known the person your entire life. There is a mutual understanding and a deep respect simply because you both follow the same Master.

Paul experienced it as he arrived in Rome. We can experience it every time we open our hearts to someone outside our own group who loves God as we do.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 26, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 26 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 26, 2008
Acts 28:11-16 (nlt)

It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island-an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead. Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days. From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. There we found some believers, who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

Quick Links…

Join Our Mailing List!

Landing in Rome

I am struck by the incredible closeness the early church believers had with each other. When you think about it, these believers in Rome really didn’t know Paul. It is unlikely that any of them (with the exception of maybe a few) had ever met Paul face to face before now.

And yet, as soon as he arrives in Rome, they are there to greet him. Not only did they greet Paul, they invited him into their homes. They loved on him and treated him like family.

The result was Paul being greatly encouraged and blessed by their actions.

As a Christ follower, we are part of a much larger family. A lot of church people miss this point, and they hunker down in their little group and ignore the bigger Church.

However, when you open your eyes and see the greater Church at work around the world, it is amazing to realize that there are people in every country who consider you and me their brothers and sisters. We are family. We are connected spiritually.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever experienced it, but I have. I’ve shown up in a strange place, and met another believer. Within minutes, you feel like you’ve known the person your entire life. There is a mutual understanding and a deep respect simply because you both follow the same Master.

Paul experienced it as he arrived in Rome. We can experience it every time we open our hearts to someone outside our own group who loves God as we do.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 26, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 24 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 24, 2008
Acts 27:27-44 (nlt)

About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near. They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep. At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.

Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship. But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. “Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat-all 276 of us who were on board. After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.

The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. The others held onto planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.

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The Shipwreck

Today’s passage was a little long, so I’ll keep the thoughts shorter.

So … you want to live the adventure, huh? Maybe not that adventurous a life!!

Actually (and this may finally make you believe that I’m nuts), I wouldn’t mind experiencing that adventure. If – and it’s a huge if – I knew that I would be spared … it would be pretty cool to experience a shipwreck! I mean, what a story to tell the grandchildren! “I remember sailing to Rome, and God told me that we’d be shipwrecked if we continued. The guards didn’t believe me so we kept going, and sure enough, we hit a storm. But, God promised we’d all live even through the shipwreck.”

Look at Paul on board this ship. Remember, he isn’t a seasoned sailor. He’s a relative “newbie” to life at sea. And yet, he’s at total peace. He is so confident in God’s promise to spare every person’s life, that he is walking around the ship trying to calm others down. He even manages to get everyone to sit down and have a meal!

He’s so calm that he even takes time to say grace before eating! I love it!

Of course it’s easy for me to suggest that I’d love to experience that adventure while sitting in my comfortable office chair in front of my awesome Macbook computer (have I mentioned that Apple computers rock and Windows sucks?). It’s easy to think I’d be sitting there, taking it all in the same way as Paul. In reality, I’d probably be screaming like a girl!

But before you mock me … I know you’d be doing the same thing!

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to bikerrobottawa.church@blogger.com, by rev@bikerschurch.com

Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 25, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet

Oil Change: Feb. 25 / 2008

The Oil Change
Bikers’ Church
February 25, 2008
Acts 28:1-10 (nlt)

Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.

As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

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OUCH!

One thing I’ve discovered over the years is when God has a plan in place for you, only one thing can stop it from becoming a reality: you.

You can choose to ignore God’s purpose for you life … but if you do, you will find yourself unsatisfied, frustrated, and discouraged.

But nothing else can stop it from happening. God’s plan was for Paul to go to Rome. Nothing – not a shipwreck, not a poisonous snake – would stop it from happening. He was going to Rome. As long as Paul continued to trust God and understand that “He’s God, I’m not”, Paul would see God’s will fulfilled.

It’s so interesting to see the response of the people when Paul is bitten by the snake. One minute they consider him a murderer. The next minute, he’s a god.

They were only partially right. Paul was a murderer. He acknowledged that many times. He had put many Christ followers to death because of their faith in God. But he had experienced God’s grace, and his sins were forgiven. He was no longer a murderer, he was a new person.

And he wasn’t a god. But he served God. He knew who was in control. And so, he didn’t panic when the snake bit him. Why? Because he knew that he couldn’t go to Rome if he was dead. And since God had told him he was going to Rome, the snake bit was simply a minor inconvenience. It hurt – enough that Paul grabbed the snake and threw it in the fire (poor snake!) – but it wouldn’t stop Paul from seeing his purpose fulfilled.

Nothing can stop you from seeing God work through you life. Well, nothing but you. You are the only one who can say “no” to God’s purpose for your life. But if you say “yes”, and you trust him in every situation, the Bible is very clear: God will work through you.

Take encouragement from that.

Until tomorrow.

Regular maintenance is so important for the “health” of our motorcycles. Leave the oil too long, and it becomes useless in protecting your engine.
In the same way, we need to keep our spiritual lives fresh. We need to “change our oil” on a regular basis. This short devotional is a means to helping us stay “fresh” on our journey.
If you enjoy it, pass it on to someone else!
Sincerely,
 


Rob Dale
Capital City Bikers’ Church

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Capital City Bikers’ Church | Capital City Bkers’ Church | Arlington Woods Free Methodist | 225 McClellan Rd. | Ottawa | Ontario | K2H 8N5 | Canada

February 25, 2008 Posted by bikerrob | Oil Change | | No Comments Yet