Today's Scripture Reading (March 2, 2021): Acts 20
On January 6, 2021, a mob invaded
the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the invasion was to
stop the official counting of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential ballots by
the Congress from the November 2020 election. They hoped that if they could
stop the counting, somehow there would be a discovery of some way to overturn Joe
Biden's election and return Donald Trump to his throne at the White House. The
riot caused damage to the building, instilled fear among all who were present
in the building that day, and either directly or indirectly caused the death of
some involved in the riot.
But, despite the violence, damage,
confusion, and death, the invasion failed. The riot didn't delay the counting
of the votes, or at worst, it delayed the counting by no more than a few hours.
Drama already surrounded the mundane certification of results by the Congress.
Those involved were already expecting this to be a late night. But some of the
drama disappeared after the riot. Congress reconvened after the demonstration
with a renewed dedication to certify the election results. They refused to
allow the riot to destroy or delay, for even a day, the purpose of their gathering.
In the early morning hours on January 7, 2021, after the uproar had ended, the
election was certified before any Congress members called it a day and went
home. The United States Congress won the day, and the rioters lost.
Paul had been in Ephesus for two
years. And they were great years. But when his presence caused a riot in
Ephesus, Paul decided it was time to leave. No one could have blamed him if he
had just left town during the night. Surely the church at Ephesus would have
understood and encouraged their Apostle to get out of Ephesus and stay safe.
But Paul refused. At least, he
refused to leave without meeting with the church one more time. His purpose for
coming to Ephesus was to share with the Ephesians the gospel message alongside
a tangible expression of the love of God. He could have taught them the gospel
through his practice of writing letters to them, as he would with the Roman
Church. But he couldn't show the church love without showing up. And Paul was
not going to leave the city without embracing them, making his love tangible,
one more time. Loving the Ephesians was an essential purpose as to why Paul had
visited the city in the first place, and not even a riot was going to stop him
from carrying out that task.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Romans 1
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