Podcast appearances and mentions of jim boyce

Luther Seminary Professors Rolf Jacobson, Joy J. Moore, and Kathryn Schifferdecker look at Narrative Lectionary readings for December 17, 2022 (Gospel of Matthew). This episode was recorded over Zoom on November 8, 2022, for Working Preacher. Additional resources: Narrative Lectionary Year 1 readings - https://www.workingpreacher.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/narrative_lectionary_matthew_2022-23.pdf * Arland Hultgren's series of articles on Working Preacher: https://www.workingpreacher.org/theology-and-interpretation/preaching-from-matthews-gospel-major-the... There's also these articles: https://www.workingpreacher.org/theology-and-interpretation/preaching-from-matthews-gospel-a-brief-introduction-to-the-gospel-of-matthew https://www.workingpreacher.org/theology-and-interpretation/preaching-from-matthews-gospelsome-issue... *Jim Boyce's entry on Matthew on Enter the Bible: https://enterthebible.org/book/matthew

Romans 12:1 Rev. Erik Veerman9/4/2022A Life of Worship and Sacrifice Our sermon text this morning is from the book of Romans chapter 12. This is the third time we've considered Romans. • Some of you may remember that our very first sermon series was from the book of Romans, chapter 8. COVID was in its early stages, and so Romans 8 provided that clear and helpful foundation to navigate life in a fallen world… and to remind us of God's unshakeable Gospel.• After that, we studied the book of Acts, which records the beginnings of the New Testament church. And right after Acts, we went back to Romans and looked at chapters 15 and 16. Acts ended in Rome, and Romans 15 and 16 focus on the church in Rome. And so it was a fitting conclusion• Now that we've wrapped up Zechariah, we're going to return to another chapter in Romans. This time chapter 12. A lot of this chapter is about the body of Christ – unity and serving and spiritual gifts. I thought it would be a good chapter to consider in our first few weeks of being an organized church.We'll start with Romans 12:1. Yes, just one verse. And next week, we'll focus on verse 2. Then we'll speed up. These are two very rich and deep verses. I was looking at Dr. Jim Boyce's commentary this past week. He had 10 sermons just on these two verses. But don't worry, we won't go that slow.Romans 12 can be found on page 1126 of the pew Bible.Please stand for the reading of God Word.Reading of Romans 12:1Prayer – Lord, this is your holy scripture. And we pray through your Spirit this morning that you would plant it deep within us. Uncover areas in our lives that need to be renewed and refined by the truth and grace of your word. That we may each glorify you in all things, that we may be living sacrifices holy and acceptable to you. We pray in the name of Jesus, AMenWho do you know who's life is a model of a faithful Christian? Does anyone come to mind? Someone who seeks to live out their faith in all areas of life; who's speech is gentle and caring; who desires to honor God 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Someone who takes life's hurdles in stride. In every difficult situation, God's Word is the first thing that comes to their mind. They are humble and loving. In their work, they always seek to give God the glory. They pray with and for others. They are peacemakers. They're not presumptuous but instead gracious.I know that may sound idealistic, but there are believers in Christ who are such models in these ways. God has refined them over time to become a stable and faithful follower of Jesus in all of life. Do you know someone like that? It could be someone who is gone from this world like a grandparent, or it could be someone who you talk to every day. Maybe another family member, or a friend, a mentor, a dear saint who has taken an interest in your spiritual life. Maybe you just know of them, but everything you hear fits what I described.Well, what's preventing you from becoming like them? What hurdles are in your way and how can you, with the help of God Spirit and grace, overcome those hurdles to become someone like that?What is holding you back from becoming a faithful, Godly, believer in Christ in all areas of your life? …where the Gospel is a part of every decision and every moment.I would submit that Romans 12:1 calls each of us to strive toward that kind of life. And it does that by first laying down a foundation - a reason. And then second, calling us to that kind of life – a life of sacrifice and worship to GodLook at the verse for a moment. The first half of the verse is that foundation or maybe a better word is motivation. It says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God.”And then the second half describes what we are called to. It says, “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”So, let's work through those two parts. Let me describe them this way:1. Live a Life Motivated by God's Gospel Mercies2. Live a Life Infused with God's Gospel MerciesYour life, motivated by God's Gospel mercies (meaning the Gospel is the reason you pursue a life honoring to God); and your life, infused with God's Gospel mercies (meaning letting it affect everything – living out the Gospel).Pretty straight forward.1. Live a Life Motivated by God's Gospel MerciesSo number one. Live a Life Motivated by God's Gospel Mercies.And let me say, the first half of this verse represents the entire book of Romans. In fact, this is the big transition point in Romans. The book of Romans as a whole can be divided in the two main parts. Chapters 1-11, and 12-16. Paul was writing to the church in Rome. At the time of his writing, he had yet to visit the church there. He would later, but even before visiting, he still personally knew many in the church from his travels. And he knew that Rome was the most influential city. The church there had been growing, and so he wrote to give them a firm foundation in what to believe and how to live. That's what his letter to them is about.And the book is generally modelled after some of his other letters, like his letter to the church in Ephesus and his letter to the church in Galatia. He starts out with what to believe and then how to live based on these truths.You could say, chapters 1-11 focuses on doctrine and chapters 12-16 focuses on application. People have described that breakout in different ways. Some have said that the first half of Romans is theology and the second half is application, or the first half is mind and the second half is heart. Well, I don't like those description for a couple of reasons. • First, it's all theology. Theology is what we believe, but part of what we believe is the living out of what we believe. • Second, I would argue that the first half of Romans is heart. Heart meaning the very center of our lives, what we believe in and trust. It's our identity in Christ and all that he's done for us.I think it's much better to say that chapters 1-11 give Gospel foundations, and 12-16 give Gospel applications. And let me define that word “Gospel.” In chapter 1, the apostle says that the Gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” The Gospel is God's work, saving us from the penalty and power of sin, through Jesus's life and sacrificial death and his resurrection. That's the basics of the Gospel. And God offers it to all and applies it to those who would believe.And in chapters 1-11, that is all worked out. Paul explains God's law, the impact of sin going back to Adam, why sin deserves God's wrath, why Jesus' death, as God's son, could accomplish salvation, how the Holy Spirit unites us to Jesus when we believe by faith, how God is sovereign over all of it, how the Gospel goes forth to all people – Jewish people and Gentiles. And how all of it, is by God's grace.That's the summary of Romans chapters 1-11The reason I'm telling you that, is if look back at chapter 12 verse 1, Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore.” “Therefore” is a critical word here. Therefore means “I just told you something and now here are the implications of that.” And an important question is, is Paul just referring to what he said in chapter 11? Or is he talking about everything he said up to this point? And I believe the answer is everything he said up to this point. Let me give you two reasons: • First, at the end of chapter 11, the apostle Paul concluded the entire first half of the book with a beautiful doxology. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” It's a conclusion. He's giving God the glory for the wonderful way that he has worked out salvation. It's a fitting end to chapters 1-11. After that ending, it wouldn't make sense for the “therefore” to be focused only on chapter 11. Rather it makes more sense for it to connect to all of what he wrote.• The second reason I believe that the “therefore” is referring to chapters 1-11 is in chapter 12 verse 1. Paul says, “therefore, brothers, by God's mercies.” Or as another English translation says, “in view of God's mercies.” He connects the “therefore” to all of God's mercies. The word “mercies” is plural because it's referencing all of God mercies, which Paul thoroughly addressed in chapters 1-11. Salvation is all about God's mercies, and the first 11 chapters are about salvation.That's what my first point is, “Live a Life Motivated by God's Gospel Mercies.” The Gospel of chapters 1-11 is the motivation to which chapters 12-16 look. That's what 12:1 is saying. And it's a call. Paul begins the verse with “I appeal to you.” The word in the Greek means exhorting and admonishing. In other words, “do what I'm about to say, because of God's Gospel mercies.” Work it out in your life. Respond to it. Live out the Gospel.And, by the way, that word “brothers” is not intended to be limited to men, in this context. The noun is in the plural, masculine form, which refers to all people to whom it's addressed. And because this letter is written to the entire church in Rome, it includes men, women, boys, and girls. And I'll say, it applies to us as well. We're not the church in Rome, but we are the church. And so there's a direct connection to all the church. By the way, isn't this a lot easier than navigating how Zechariah applies to us?Let me summarize the first half of the verse. Through the apostle Paul, God is calling all believers to respond to the salvation that God has given us in Christ. It's not optional!Live a Life Motivated by God's Gospel Mercies2. Live a Life Infused with God's Gospel MerciesAnd that brings us to point #2. How should we respond? What are the implication of God's Gospel mercies for how we live? Look at how it's worded. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”Before we get into the details, I titled this point, Live a Life Infused with God's Gospel Mercies. To infuse means to fill, to permeate, to saturate, or even marinate. Every part of you should be infused with the Gospel. Like you are at the hospital, and you need a life-saving treatment. And they put an IV in you and that medicine is infused throughout your body. It heals and cures you. That's what the Gospel does. It heals and cures you. And it's meant to works its way all through you. When you bleed, you bleed Gospel blood. That's how much it should affect you.We're “to present our bodies as a living sacrifice,” as it says. That does not mean only your physical body. Here it refers to your whole being. Everything about you. John Calvin, the great French reformer, put it this way, “By body, he means not only our skin and bones, but the totality of which we are composed… [the connection] of all our parts, for the members of the body are the instruments by which we perform actions.”We are physical beings, with souls that are connected to our bodies while we are alive. And the call is to be living sacrifices, not dead sacrifices like the Old Testament animal sacrifices. Our lives are to be ongoing sacrifices. The idea of a sacrifice includes the idea of an offering to God. Sacrifices were to be pleasing to God. So your life should be an offering to him, seeking to please him. Furthermore, sacrifices pointed to God and salvation. So, to be a living sacrifice means your whole life is to display the salvation that he's given you. You are to offer yourself to him and point to the Gospel mercies you have in him. That's why it actually says, “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” Or “holy and pleasing to God.” So, we're to pursue a life that is God honoring; we're to give up things that are not honoring to God. In other words, we are sacrificing our desires and thoughts that don't glorify God, and replacing them with desires and thoughts and actions that are holy and acceptable to him.And the verse ends with one more phrase. Paul writes about being a living sacrifice by saying “which is your spiritual worship.”That word worship is used in different ways. It's basic meaning is to express reverence, adoration, and devotion to God. Once sense of the word worship is when we are gathered together for corporate worship, for a worship service. Like what we have been doing this morning. But that's not the only use of the word. Worship here is not just talking about what we are doing right now, in this worship service. No, the word “worship” in this verse is far more expansive. It means that the totality of our lives are meant to worship God. We are to worship God in all we do. We are to give glory to God in all things because we are a living sacrifice. The word worship is qualified with the word “spiritual.” “Spiritual worship.” In the Greek, the word for “spiritual” is the same word for “reasonable” and “rational.” The living sacrifice is not meant to be understood as special ceremonial, rather it's reasonable or spiritual worship worked out rationally in your every-day life. That means, worship at all times and in all situations. We're to Live a Life Infused with God's Gospel Mercies, which effects everything. That's why we responsively read the very well known first catechism question of the Westminster confession. What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is… to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The purpose of our existence is to glorify God and we do that by working the Gospel out in all areas of life.I think every pastor at some point has use the example of Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner. Some of you may know Eric Liddell's story very well. Others of you may have never heard of him. I asked my kids if they knew who Eric Liddell was. They said, “Of course, dad, you made us watch the movie!”They were referring to the 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.Eric Liddell was an Olympic runner. He ran in the 1924 Olympics for Scotland. Liddell actually grew up in the northern part of China. His parents were missionaries. He was educated in London but his heart was set on being a missionary to China.But he was also fast. Very fast. He ran on the Edinburgh (Ed-in-bur-ruh) University track team and then ran for Scotland. Liddell was scheduled to run the 100 meter dash at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The only problem was that the preliminary heats were on Sunday. Sunday is the Lord's day. And as a strong believer, he felt convicted that he should not run on a Sunday. And so, he dropped out of the 100 meter race which he was favored to win. His commitment to the Lord was greater than his desire to race or win. However, he was given the chance to run the 400 meter race, which was on a different day. It wasn't his specialty, but he won in epic fashion. I think he broke 3 world records in the two days of the race and he won the final by an unprecedented 3 1/2 yards.There's a scene in the movie that really captures Liddell's life and commitment. The scene was set a few months before the Olympics. Eric is talking with his sister, Jenny. He shares that he has been accepted by the London Missionary Society to serve in China. And Jenny is thrilled. But he says to her that he has a lot of running to do beforehand. And she's disappointed. She wonderes why he was dedicating so much time to running. She believed he should immediately go to China and serve.And he says this to her… (now remember, this is the movie based on his life) “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, for China, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure.” Indeed, when Liddell ran, he displayed that pleasure from God and for God. He ran in a very free flowing way with such a joyful expression, his head raised high.What Eric was telling Jenny is that in all of life he sought to honor and glorify God. Yes, he wanted to serve on the mission's field, but God had given him this talent and he desired to serve the Lord with it and honor him.To finish the story, after the Olympics, Liddell did go on to serve in China. He came back occasionally to England for study but spent most of his remaining days in China. He served there during World War 2. But the region where he served was taken over by the Japanese. Eventually Liddell was imprisoned at one of the Japanese camps where he died in 1945 at the age of 43.Liddell's whole life was a Romans 12:1 life. He had become so transformed by the Gospel, that it affected everything he did.Every part of your life and my life is to be a spiritual act of worship before the Lord our maker. • In our work, we are to honor him. • In all our relationships, God is to be glorified. • Whatever we think, say, and do, is to be done with a desire holy and acceptable to God. • True faith is not a Sunday only faith. It's an everyday faith from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep.And that necessarily means identifying areas in our lives that do not glorify God. It means understanding that we each need to change. You need to change. I need to change. We can't excuse our actions or words because we think “well, that's the way am.” If you are a believer in Jesus, you are called to conform to the image of Christ…. to “be transformed,” which, by the way, is our subject next week.That means you need to be constantly evaluating your speech (what you say to others), evaluating your motivations (why you do things), and evaluating your thoughts and action (how you respond to temptations and difficult circumstance).A couple weeks ago I mentioned to someone that when I was younger, I struggled with anger. That really surprised them. I said, just ask Amy. In fact, 25 years ago, I accidentally punched a hole in the drywall of my office at work. Some technology thing wasn't working, and I got worked up. That event made me realize that when something didn't go the way I hoped or planned, I would get very frustrated. I wasn't submitting it to the Lord, or trusting in his providence. It was painful to realize my sin but by God's grace it's been an area of growth.What areas in your life are preventing you from being that model of Christian faithfulness? …someone who has the Gospel infused all throughout their life?What is holding you back?Is it Anger? Lust? Apathy? Control? Are you pursuing things more than you are pursuing God? Is your heart turned against someone who has offended or hurt you? Are your words always seasoned with the Gospel or are they at times biting and sarcastic? Are your thoughts pure and blameless? In your daily activities, are you reflecting the Lord, or are you reflecting your own reputation and pursuits? For married couples, are you honoring one another unto the Lord, or are you trying to win an argument or build up grievances – making a record of the wrongs done to you?We could be here a long time, couldn't we? There are many ways in which we are not living sacrifices, not holy, not acceptable to the Lord.But beloved in Christ, there is one who is the perfect living sacrifice; one who in every area of his life displayed the holiness of God; one whose every thought and word and deed was perfectly acceptable to God; One who sacrificed his life for others, but who lives even now. Jesus is the perfect living sacrifice because as God and as a man, a brother, he could give his life and he could triumph over sin.He is the one who makes you acceptable before the Lord. He has done that if you believe in him by faith. Or Jesus can make you holy and acceptable before God, by trusting in him by faith. He's the only one who can. Jesus is the one that Romans 12:1 speaks about. The mercies of God center on Christ, and the mercies of God flow from him and to you. And if you believe in him by faith, he enables you, through the Holy Spirit, to pursue a life holy and acceptable to God, because you are holy and acceptable to him in Christ.So live a life motivated by and infused with God's Gospel mercies BECAUSE God has called you in Christ to be a living sacrifice. All of your life is to be an act of spiritual worship before him.

Message from Jim Boyce on March 2, 2022

Mark Chapman, Chris Sutton, Rory Smith and Micah Richards are all together for the Monday Night Club this week. They react to the news that FIFA and UEFA have banned Russian football clubs and national teams from all competitions after the country's invasion of Ukraine. You'll hear from the former FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce and the manager of the Polish men's team Jakub Kwiatkowski. To matters on the pitch, and the Monday Night Club discuss why Tuchel brought on Kepa for the penalty shootout in the League Cup final as well as the reasoning behind Liverpool using neuroscientific data-based training to decide on the order for the penalty takers. Plus, the Monday Night Club reflect on Bielsa's time at Leeds United and learn what it's like to play under new Leeds boss Jesse Marsch from Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Jim Boyce is a successful Director of Education from Seattle who has worked in several countries. He has a number of awards and was invited to the White House. On the show Jim gives us an update on how a life changing decision is keeping him busy. We chat about the immigration process, his son‘s development having being diagnosed with autism. Also how he handles his ‘me time'.

The End of the BeginningAs we come to this last reading in the book of Acts, the apostle Paul had just arrived in Rome after his long journey.Reading of Acts 28:17-37IntroductionI counted and this is our 53rd sermon in the book of Acts. Our final one. We started in September of 2020, and it's been a journey!Many of you have commented about your appreciation of this series. It's been helpful. It's been one where we've learned about the church and we've been challenged by the Gospel. The Gospel, as a reminder, is the good news of Jesus – It's the salvation that God achieved for us through Jesus's death on the cross, and the hope that we have because of his resurrection. It's been a main emphasis in Acts.As we come to the end, I want to take you back to the very beginning of Luke's words. Luke, through the inspiration of the God's Spirit, authored both the Gospel according to Luke as well as this book. And he wrote both books to a Theophilus. At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, he said: “it seemed good to me… having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,” and then he wrote, “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” Luke wrote something similar in Acts chapter 1 verse 1. “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up…” And then Luke immediately began talking about Jesus's words to his discipline. Both about his kingdom and that they would be his witness. Luke was setting the stage for his book.In other words, both books focus on Jesus. The first on his life, ministry, and death while on earth, and the second, Acts, on Jesus's post resurrection ministry. That includes Jesus' commands to his appointed apostles, and the kingdom of God. So Jesus's ministry on earth, as the suffering servant, and Jesus's ongoing ministry in heaven as the king of his kingdom. And even though we don't know much about Theophilus, we do know that Luke's goal is to explain and verify to Theophilus what has happened… Here's how Christianity started, here's what it's all about, the Gospel, and here's how Christianity exploded in growth over this 60 years period.And at the center of the entire narrative is God. God the heavenly Father, sending God the son – Jesus, and giving us God the Spirit. That's what it's all about, Theophilus. God orchestrated it all. He fulfilled his promise of salvation through Jesus, and now it's going out to every tribe, tongue, and people. Jesus is reigning in heaven, and he's given us his Holy Spirit to accomplish his “ends of the earth” ministry.That's the big picture. And if you don't have that in mind, then you are going to be disappointed in this ending. Maybe you've already thought that. “Wait, what? What happened next? What happened to Paul? Luke, you've left me hanging?” Have you thought those things?On the other hand, if you get the big picture. That's it's God's work, His salvation, establishing and expanding his church and kingdom, through his Spirit, as the resurrected Lord Jesus reigns in heaven… if you understand those things, then this ending is actually amazing.My goal is for you to see that today. To be amazed. Amazed at what God has done. And amazed at what he is continuing to do. If you're thinking, “well, where's the next chapter of Acts, Acts 29?” Well, the thing is, we ARE the next chapter of Acts. As God's church and people, as part of his expanding kingdom, we are in Acts 29 now. Many have said over the years that the book of Acts is the “End of the Beginning.” Not the “beginning of the end.” No, Acts has given us the beginnings of the church. And chapter 28 is merely the end of the beginning.In the very first sermon of Acts, I used the acronym A.C.T.S. And I think I came back to that acronym maybe 5-6 times as a reminder of the main themes of the whole book. Well, I want to end with the same acronym. Let's analyze these last verses with that same paradigm. And in doing so, I hope that you'll see how it all connects together and brings to conclusion, or rather, purposeful inconclusion, the book of Acts.A.C.T.S.• A for the ascended Christ.• C for the church• T which stands for… do you remember, Tucker. We are part of Jesus's call that the Gospel go “to the ends of the earth” • And S for Spirit. God's Holy Spirit at work. The Spirit of Truth and righteousness.All those things were emphasized in the opening verses of Acts. And they were emphasized throughout the book. And they are here in chapter 28.Now, before jumping into those themes, let me highlight some of the story here… Paul's time in Rome.• First, the Roman Centurion considered Paul trustworthy and faithful. Even though he still had chains, Paul was able to rent a house. We're told that up in verse 16. That's incredible. It was the base location of Paul's ministry. People came to him, there. • Second, Paul wasted no time once he got to Rome. His first tactic was to call the Jewish leadership to meet him. That was only 3 days after his arrival. And they came to him. And the somewhat surprising thing is they didn't know anything about Paul. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had yet to inform Rome. Now maybe their communication was still on the way. Don't forget, the storm at sea pushed Paul 1000 miles closer to Rome. So Paul arrived pretty early in the spring... before the Jews from Jerusalem could either arrive or send a letter warning them about Paul.• So these Jewish leaders in Rome wanted to hear from Paul. And he had two meetings with them. • In the first meeting, verses 17-22, he let them know three things. (1) why he was a prisoner. (2) that the Roman authority found him innocent. (3) He, himself, didn't bring a counter charge against the Jews in Jerusalem. He simply appealed because the Jews objected to the Romans. And notice in this first meeting, Paul's heart was very much aligned with them. Paul spoke of “our people” and “our fathers.”• And then, the second meeting happened because the Jewish leaders wanted to hear more. And Paul spent an entire day with them. Look at verse 23. Three words there describe Paul's words: “Expounded” meaning he explained the Old Testament scriptures. “Testifying” meaning he was revealing what God had done and was doing to fulfill his promises. And the last word, “convince,” meaning Paul was trying to persuade them about Jesus. We'll get into the details about how the Jews responded in a little bit.• The last thing I want to highlight is the last two verses. After these two meetings with the Jewish leaders, Paul opened his home, and for two years, he welcomed anyone and everyone – Jews and Gentiles to talk. And think about this, no one could hurt him! The whole time he was chained to a Roman guard. By the way, I was reading Jim Boyce's commentary on this. Boice was the pastor at 10th Presbyterian in Philadelphia. He made an interesting comment. He asked, what if you were one of the many Roman soldiers chained to Paul. You know, taking turns. I mean, you would have been a captive audience for a couple of years. Not just hearing about the Gospel, but experiencing the Lord's work through Paul. Maybe in eternity, we'll meet a couple of them.Ok, hopefully that helps frame out these verses. Let's now jump into the ACTS acronym and connect this all together.A – Ascended ChristThe letter “A” – again for the ascended Christ. And we should include resurrected and ascended Christ. As I mentioned earlier, Acts has been about the resurrected and ascended Jesus. It began with the resurrected Jesus. He had risen from the grave. Conquered death and sin. And by doing so, he proved who he was – the promised Savior. He was the one to whom the Old Testament Scriptures pointed. And at the beginning of Acts chapter 1, Jesus then ascended into heaven. By doing so, he ushered in his Kingdom. Not an earthly kingdom, No, a spiritual kingdom with Jesus as king. We'll come back to the kingdom in a minute. And all throughout Acts, the apostles emphasized the resurrected and ascended Christ. That's why it's seemed like we've had 3-4 Easter type messages this last year.And this emphasis on Jesus is, of course, here at the end! In Paul's first meeting with the Jewish leaders, he spoke of the “hope of Israel.” You'll see that in verse 20. Well, they would have known exactly who Paul was referring to. The promised Messiah. The Christ. Those are 2 words that point to God's promised savior.That the comment that actually led to that second meeting. It's there that Paul sought to prove Jesus as the promised one. Do you see that in verse 23? It says Paul was “trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.”By the way, there's a parallel here between the end of Acts and the end of the Gospel of Luke. Here, Paul revealed Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises… and at the end of Luke Jesus revealed how he fulfilled all of the Old Testament promises. That was on the road to Emmeus. We've seen a lot of parallels, haven't we, between the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. This parallel help us see Luke's emphasis in his conclusion – Jesus.In fact, the final verse of Acts is also about Jesus, did you notice. The proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ continued. The whole book ends with Jesus. That's because it's all about him. Even though the last half of Acts focused on Paul's ministry, really, it's not about Paul. It's never been about him. Paul over and over pointed to Jesus. That's why Luke doesn't tell us what happened to Paul. Acts is not about him. And think about it, besides Paul, Acts doesn't tell us what happened to Peter, or Barnabas, or Timothy, or John either. Acts is not a biography about them. No, it's about Jesus – the ascended Christ.C – ChurchAnd that brings us to the letter “C” for church. Ecclesia is the word in the Greek. That word is used throughout Acts. All over the place as church after church is planted and worships and grows and sends out people. To be sure, the word for church is not used here. In fact, that word is not used in the first chapter of Acts, either. Yet it has such a prominent place all throughout the book.However, Acts both begins and ends with an emphasis on “God's kingdom.” In the beginning of Acts, Jesus was teaching about his kingdom. And here in the last chapter, verses 23 and 31, the very last verse, Luke goes back to that phrase “kingdom of God.” And a big part of God's kingdom is the church. They are intrinsically connected. • The kingdom of God is a much broader. It includes the heavens above. • It includes God's work through his people and his work throughout his creation. • It includes God's common grace as well, what we talked about last week. • And it includes the church. The church, if you remember refers to God's people. There's both a broader use of that word meaning all of God's people throughout the world, and there's also a focused use of the word referring to the gathering of people for worship and discipleship. A local church – a congregation of believers like us here. In other words, the church is a subset of God's kingdom. It makes sense that Acts begins and ends with the kingdom because it's broader in scope. And the pages in Acts are about the specifics of what God is doing in his kingdom, with a big emphasis on the church. And this idea of God's kingdom was hugely misunderstood by the Jewish people. You see, they were expecting an earthly kingdom. They wanted a messiah that would come and demonstrate his earthly power. They wanted Israel to return to greatness like in the days of King David and Solomon. After all, they were God's chosen nation. The gentiles, they thought, were not to be God's people.This explains what happened in Paul's second meeting with the Jewish leaders. Verses 23-28. Remember, Paul was “testifying to the kingdom of God” and “trying to convince then about Jesus.” In other words, he was trying to show them that they had gotten it all wrong. And what happened? Well, some believed! Yes! Some did believe. This has happened over and over. Paul went to the Jews. He proclaimed the Gospel and the Kingdom. Both of those things, and some believed. But most of them, just like before, did not believe. And that's when Paul quoted Isaiah 6. “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear.” His quote of Isaiah 6 was absolutely true. All the promises point to Christ Jesus. It's all right there in their Scriptures, but they failed to see and hear it.In fact, Jesus quoted this same exact prophecy. And the context of that was his kingdom parables. What the kingdom of God would be like. And just like here at the ends of Acts, many of the people did not believe. To them, Jesus was not the right kind of savior, and his kingdom was not the right kind of kingdom.T - TuckerThis is a good transition to the next letter in the acronym. “T” for Tucker which connects to “the ends of the earth” because we, here in Tucker, are part of God's ends of the earth ministry. You see, God's plan of salvation always included the nations. Israel was the means through which salvation came. The covenant promises and the prophecies came through Israel. That's why Paul was so passionate that the Jews would believe. Because they had a special role in God bringing salvation to us.One of the points here is that despite the unbelief of many of them, the Gospel will continue to expand to all people. This is why Paul responded the way he did in verse 28. “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” This is right after he quoted Isaiah 6. You are not hearing God's Word, but the Gentiles will listen. And so the Gospel went forth to all people. All backgrounds. All nationalities.Let me also add, besides “who” the offer of the Gospel was for (everyone), this ending of Acts also reminds us of “where” the Gospel was to go. Back in chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus commissioned his disciples to be his witness, yes in Jerusalem, but also beyond. In “Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And all throughout Acts, we experienced the Gospel expanding. The fact that Paul had arrived in Rome, and that there were already Christians in Rome, showed that Jesus's “ends of the earth” commission was being fulfilled. The Jewish leaders here even confirmed this for us. Back up in verse 22. We don't know anything about you, Paul, but “with regard to this sect,” meaning Christianity, “we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” Everywhere that they know. To be sure, Rome wasn't the ends of the earth, but it represented the Gospel going forth. And it's still happening today.S – SpiritOk, the final letter, “S”, for the Spirit. The Holy Spirit.To be as clear as I can, the Holy Spirit is who we call the third person of the God. third person of the Trinity. God is one, who eternally exists in the unity of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We'll be jointly reading the Nicene Creed in a few minutes as we approach the Lord's table. It's helps clarify those things.And much of the book of Acts has been about the Holy Spirit. Who he is. Why he was given. And we know from the Gospel of John and the other book of the Bible that he is the comforter, who brings conviction of sin, who trains us in righteousness, who transforms hearts. Some have called the book of Acts, the Acts of the Holy Spirit. That's because he has a central role in the book, expanding God's kingdom through the conversion of souls, the miracles, and the words given to the believers as the Holy Spirit was given to them. There are 56 direct references to the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. That's like three times more references than any other book in the Bile. And here in the last chapter, again, a direct reference to the Holy Spirit and his work. An interesting reference at that.Verse 25. “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet.” Paul was attesting to them that it's the Holy Spirit who gives us his Word. Yes, Isaiah penned the words, but it was the Holy Spirit working through him. It's a great reminder of God's Spirit working through his Word.Sometimes we just think of the human author. Isaiah prophesied, or John spoke, or Mark wrote, and we forget that it's the Holy Spirit who was at work through these faithful men. That's why it all ties together. As the Holy Spirit says of God's word… All Scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. The Holy Spirit at work in Acts and beyond.Conclusion“A” for the ascended Christ. “C” for the church, a subset of God's kingdom, “T” for Tucker as part of Jesus's ends of the earth ministry. And S for the Holy Spirit.I want to bring our whole study to a close by looking at the last word of Acts, “without hindrance.” That's one word in the Greek. Unhindered. The Gospel continued to be preached with boldness and unhindered. I mean, what an appropriate word to end the book on! It's in some ways the summary of Acts. The unhindered proclamation of Christ. That he is the only way for salvation. The call to believe in Jesus, God's son, for who he is, for what he accomplished on the cross, and for his ongoing ministry as the resurrected king. One commentator, Darrell Bock, wrote this to close his commentary: “The word will get out. In fact, despite all the obstacles in Acts, the book ends with the Gospel unhindered… God is the hero of Acts, and the plot line is he reveals his word through Jesus and a faithful church. God will make sure it happens...”Isn't that what we experienced in Acts over and over?• That threats and persecution will not stop the Gospel• Martyrdom will not stop it from going forth. Quite the opposite happened.• Disagreements over doctrine is not going to stop it.• A secular kingdom is not going to stop the Gospel, nor corruption within it.• Empty religion and blind, deaf leaders will not stop it from going forth.• The devil can not stop• False Gods and idols will not stop the Gospel.• A storm at sea and a shipwreck will not stop it.• Neither will chains!Nothing will. It will be unhindered. And when it seems that all hope is lost, that's when God is at work in ways that we can't even imagine. Isn't that the hope of the Gospel, anyway?! When the Jews plotted against Jesus. When his disciples deserted him, scared. When the Romans gave in and dragged him to the cross. When he hung until he breathed no more. When it seemed hopeless and that it was the end. That's when God did his most powerful work. And it was only the beginning. It was the very thing that defeated sin, death, and the devil. And it was from that point when the Gospel and Christianity exploded in growth, unhindered. We saw that all through the book of Acts. And Acts was only the beginning. We're still, to this day, witnessing and participating in the Gospel ministry of Christ through the Holy Spirit, as Jesus builds his church to the ends of the earth.

Message from Jim Boyce on October 20, 2021

Message from Jim Boyce on September 22, 2021

Message from Jim Boyce on September 15, 2021

Jim Boyce, Former FIFA Vice President

Message from Jim Boyce on June 30, 2021

Jim Boyce is a successful Director of Education from Seattle who has worked in several countries. He has a number of awards and was invited to the White House. He has been a teacher a principal, Assistant Director and Director of several programs. He has worked in USA and even as far as UAE at the no1 ranked university there. Jim gives us an update on his health after catching COViD and believing that his time was up. We chat about his back injury which made him suicidal because of the pain and not being able to pick things up. He eventually took steps to recovery by carrying his child longer distances each time which lead to him becoming a marathon runner, we chat about His time in Qatar and how it became a time of healing. Jim opens up about having twins and how he copes with his son who has Autism whilst living in the Dominican Republic

Message from Jim Boyce on March 24, 2021

Message from Jim Boyce on November 18, 2020

Message from Jim Boyce on November 11, 2020

Message from Jim Boyce on April 22, 2020

Message from Jim Boyce on April 8, 2020

Episode 22: On this episode of Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. talk about a woman’s place in the church. Should women be allowed to teach in the church? Should they be allowed to become Pastors? Listen to the episode to find out.

Jim Boyce is President and Chief Executive Officer of DEFENDERS. Before being named President and CEO in January 2015, Jim was DEFENDERS’ President and Chief Operating Officer, and was responsible for the company’s revenue and profit growth, leadership development, and all aspects of the customer experience including sales, customer care, installations, permits and collections.  

On this episode of Real Life Talks, the question of self-defense is confronted. Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. sit down and look to God’s Word to see if a Christian should take precautionary measures of self-defense.

On today’s episode of Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. have a discussion involving killing in war. A debate that divides most of our country today, is killing in war murder?

On this episode of Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. will look to God’s Word to see what it says about Christians having relationships with people outside of the faith.

On this episode, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. address the issue of homosexuality. Can a homosexual be a Christian? What does God think about this lifestyle? Find out on today’s Real Life Talks.

Today on Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. dive into the topic of predestination. Predestination is the belief that God chooses who goes to heaven or hell. Does God really choose some for heaven and others for hell? Watch the video to find out.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why me? Why do bad things happen to me? Why does God continue to allow bad things to happen all around me?” On this weeks episode of Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. look to God’s Word and ask the question, “Why does God allow bad things […]

Is there actually a sin you can commit that will keep you out of heaven? Today, on Real Life Talks hear Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. go to the Bible to see “What is the unpardonable sin?”

For decades Christians have debated how much we should be involved in our political system. Today, hear Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. go to the Bible to see if there is any direction given on this matter. Should a Christian be politically active? Find out today on Real Life Talks.

On today’s episode, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. tackle one of the most hot-button topics in our culture today. Is there any Biblical basis for divorce? Find out today on Real Life Talks.

This week on Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. confront one of the most controversial questions ever to be asked regarding the Christian faith. Can a Christian actually lose their salvation? Watch today’s episode and find out.

This week on Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. address the question of how important church attendance really is. Is it a requirement for believers or just a place to go with the family on Christmas and Easter? Find out today on Real Life Talks.

On this week’s episode of Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. will discuss the real purpose in life. Are we all just an accident or were we really created for something more? Find out today on Real Life Talks.

Today on the pilot episode of the new InGrace show, Real Life Talks, Jim Boyce and Jim Scudder, Jr. will discuss whether or not a good person can go to heaven. It is a question asked by so many and truthfully answered by so few.