1Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, 2where he met Aquila, a Jewish man from Pontus. Not long before this, Aquila had come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jewish people to leave Rome. [a] Paul went to see Aquila and Priscilla 3and found out that they were tent makers. Paul was a tent maker too. So he stayed with them, and they worked together. 4Every Sabbath, Paul went to the Jewish meeting place. He spoke to Jews and Gentiles [b] and tried to win them over. 5But after Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, he spent all his time preaching to the Jews about Jesus the Messiah. 6Finally, they turned against him and insulted him. So he shook the dust from his clothes [c] and told them, "Whatever happens to you will be your own fault! I am not to blame. From now on I am going to preach to the Gentiles." 7Paul then moved into the house of a man named Titius Justus, who worshiped God and lived next door to the Jewish meeting place. 8Crispus was the leader of the meeting place. He and everyone in his family put their faith in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard the message, and all the people who had faith in the Lord were baptized.
9One night, Paul had a vision, and in it the Lord said, "Don't be afraid to keep on preaching. Don't stop! 10I am with you, and you won't be harmed. Many people in this city belong to me." 11Paul stayed on in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching God's message to the people.
12While Gallio was governor of Achaia, some of the Jewish leaders got together and grabbed Paul. They brought him into court 13and said, "This man is trying to make our people worship God in a way that is against our Law!"
14Even before Paul could speak, Gallio said, "If you were charging this man with a crime or some other wrong, I would have to listen to you. 15But since this concerns only words, names, and your own law, you will have to take care of it. I refuse to judge such matters." 16Then he sent them out of the court. 17The crowd grabbed Sosthenes, the Jewish leader, and beat him up in front of the court. But none of this mattered to Gallio.
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink".
"But!" we protest..."The horse isn't smart enough to know he needs to drink. We must be diligent and tenacious. We must make the horse drink".
Not so fast...we just witnessed Paul abandoning the Jews and basically saying "this one is on you...I've done my part". Wow! This seems callous...letting them be doomed to eternal condemnation. We don't know why Paul was led to take this position but I suspect his thinking involved the urgent nature of the Gospel and the vast reaches of the harvest. We have limited resources to reach nearly unlimited people. Time is if the essence.
It doesn't mean we don't care. It means we care just as much for the next person in line. And...you and I never know when time will run out. It reminds me of the old TV game where a family ran around a grocery store with a grocery cart and could keep everything they could get in the cart within a minute. The race, obviously, involved finding valuable items...but that had to be balanced with the need for haste.
We are all in the business of "filling our eternal cart with lost souls". The huge advantage we have over the TV game is that we know that every soul has equal value. We can start clearing the shelves as fast as possible. The problem is...the clock has already started.
Live boldly out there today...
June 4, 2011
June 3, 2011
Acts 17:16-34, In Athens
16While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. 17He went to the Jewish meeting place to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. 18Some of them were Epicureans [b] and some were Stoics, [c] and they started arguing with him. People were asking, "What is this know-it-all trying to say?"
Some even said, "Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That's what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death." [d] 19They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, "Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean."
21More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, "To an Unknown God." You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. 25He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.
27God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, 28and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said.
29Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made. 30In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. 31He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.
32As soon as the people heard Paul say that a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, "We will hear you talk about this some other time." 33When Paul left the council meeting, 34some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. One of them was a council member named Dionysius. A woman named Damaris and several others also put their faith in the Lord.
Paul did a couple of important things in Athens that we should try to apply in our own efforts to share the Gospel.
First, he met the Athenians on their territory. Second, he did not criticize them. Third, he put the Gospel in a context they could understand. And, he was successful in making converts.
We tend to do things far differently. First, many polls reveal 90% of Christians do not talk about their faith outside of the church. So, we expect unbelievers to come to our church to hear the Gospel. This means they are in unfamiliar territory and defensive...far less likely to listen. Second, Paul honored them for being religious people. He didn't criticize their polytheism. With this tactic he offered them nothing to argue against. We are more inclined to tell people what bad things they need to quit doing. Finally, he contextualized the Gospel for them. He said "I notice you have an idol to the unknown god. Let me tell you who he is". By doing this he used language and ideas that the people fully understood. I'm sure the comprehension level went way up. This is far wiser than our typical method of telling people they need to "be washed in the blood of the LambS. No wonder they don't get it!
In a nutshell, this is putting ourselves in their shoes. We should constantly ask ourselves "How would I want the Gospel presented to me if I was not a believer?
Live boldly out there today.
Some even said, "Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That's what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death." [d] 19They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, "Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean."
21More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, "To an Unknown God." You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. 25He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.
27God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, 28and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said.
29Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made. 30In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. 31He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.
32As soon as the people heard Paul say that a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, "We will hear you talk about this some other time." 33When Paul left the council meeting, 34some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. One of them was a council member named Dionysius. A woman named Damaris and several others also put their faith in the Lord.
Paul did a couple of important things in Athens that we should try to apply in our own efforts to share the Gospel.
First, he met the Athenians on their territory. Second, he did not criticize them. Third, he put the Gospel in a context they could understand. And, he was successful in making converts.
We tend to do things far differently. First, many polls reveal 90% of Christians do not talk about their faith outside of the church. So, we expect unbelievers to come to our church to hear the Gospel. This means they are in unfamiliar territory and defensive...far less likely to listen. Second, Paul honored them for being religious people. He didn't criticize their polytheism. With this tactic he offered them nothing to argue against. We are more inclined to tell people what bad things they need to quit doing. Finally, he contextualized the Gospel for them. He said "I notice you have an idol to the unknown god. Let me tell you who he is". By doing this he used language and ideas that the people fully understood. I'm sure the comprehension level went way up. This is far wiser than our typical method of telling people they need to "be washed in the blood of the LambS. No wonder they don't get it!
In a nutshell, this is putting ourselves in their shoes. We should constantly ask ourselves "How would I want the Gospel presented to me if I was not a believer?
Live boldly out there today.
June 2, 2011
Acts 17:10-15, People in Berea Welcome the Message
10That same night the Lord's followers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea, and after they arrived, they went to the Jewish meeting place. 11The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true. 12Many of them put their faith in the Lord, including some important Greek women and several men.
13When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God's message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul. 14Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
I can't believe it. The Thessalonian religious leaders weren't satisfied with simply kicking the Apostles out of their town (and, of course, beating them)...now they felt a need to run down to Berea and enforce their standards on the neighbors.
This is typical of insecure people. Everybody has to think like they do or they get nervous. Sound like any Christians we know?
Conversely, the Bereans came to faith through serious study of scripture...to find out if the teachings they received were true. Wow! What a contrast. Even in conflict they conducted themselves like mature Christians...caring for the welfare of the Apostles.
We don't need to analyze this any further. The salient question is simple: "Am I a Thessalonian or a Berean?" It matters to God.
Live boldly out there today...
13When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God's message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul. 14Right away the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
I can't believe it. The Thessalonian religious leaders weren't satisfied with simply kicking the Apostles out of their town (and, of course, beating them)...now they felt a need to run down to Berea and enforce their standards on the neighbors.
This is typical of insecure people. Everybody has to think like they do or they get nervous. Sound like any Christians we know?
Conversely, the Bereans came to faith through serious study of scripture...to find out if the teachings they received were true. Wow! What a contrast. Even in conflict they conducted themselves like mature Christians...caring for the welfare of the Apostles.
We don't need to analyze this any further. The salient question is simple: "Am I a Thessalonian or a Berean?" It matters to God.
Live boldly out there today...
June 1, 2011
Acts 17:1-9, Trouble in Thessalonica
1After Paul and his friends had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went on to Thessalonica. A Jewish meeting place was in that city. 2So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures 3to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about. 4Some of them believed what Paul had said, and they became followers with Paul and Silas. Some Gentiles and many important women also believed the message. 5The Jewish leaders were jealous and got some worthless bums who hung around the marketplace to start a riot in the city. They wanted to drag Paul and Silas out to the mob, and so they went straight to Jason's home. 6But when they did not find them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the Lord's followers. They took them to the city authorities and shouted, "Paul and Silas have been upsetting things everywhere. Now they have come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his home. All of them break the laws of the Roman Emperor by claiming that someone named Jesus is king."
8The officials and the people were upset when they heard this. 9So they made Jason and the other followers pay bail before letting them go.
"Worthless bums!"
I didn't say it...Luke said it. And, so, it is an apt description of anybody who attempts to disrupt the declaration of the Gospel.
Now we have established a pretty dependable pattern. When we share the Gospel...
1. Some people will become believers.
2. Some people will try to prevent us.
3. Some people will threaten...even harm us.
The ideal is that point number 1 is worth all the 2s and 3s that can be mounted against us. I realize this is sobering and difficult, but the one thing we cannot do is quit. If we do, who is going to make believers? On the contrary, a thoughtful believer would work to be as effective as possible on point 1 to make 2 and 3 even out a bit.
In other words...would we rather be persecuted for leading one person to Christ or 5 people? The cost will be the same. We call this "economy of scale". At 1 to 1 I get 1 beating for every believer. At 5 to 1 I only get one fifth of a beating for each believer. That seems so much easier to bear.
I realize I'm being a bit silly, but the point is really not far from the mark. I remember one night in Vietnam we were under threat of being over-run by a regiment of NVA. 22 of us were preparing for a pitched battle. One friend of mine was laying several hand grenades in front of himself and straightening the pins. When I asked him what he was doing he said "before I die I'm going to take as many of them with me as I can".
Interesting...he'd be dead either way. But, he had a principle that his life had a certain value.
If I'm going to be persecuted...I want to go out in a blaze of glory like Jim Elliot or Nate Saint. I want the value of my life to be measured in the hundreds...not just a few believers. How about you?
Live boldly out there today...
8The officials and the people were upset when they heard this. 9So they made Jason and the other followers pay bail before letting them go.
"Worthless bums!"
I didn't say it...Luke said it. And, so, it is an apt description of anybody who attempts to disrupt the declaration of the Gospel.
Now we have established a pretty dependable pattern. When we share the Gospel...
1. Some people will become believers.
2. Some people will try to prevent us.
3. Some people will threaten...even harm us.
The ideal is that point number 1 is worth all the 2s and 3s that can be mounted against us. I realize this is sobering and difficult, but the one thing we cannot do is quit. If we do, who is going to make believers? On the contrary, a thoughtful believer would work to be as effective as possible on point 1 to make 2 and 3 even out a bit.
In other words...would we rather be persecuted for leading one person to Christ or 5 people? The cost will be the same. We call this "economy of scale". At 1 to 1 I get 1 beating for every believer. At 5 to 1 I only get one fifth of a beating for each believer. That seems so much easier to bear.
I realize I'm being a bit silly, but the point is really not far from the mark. I remember one night in Vietnam we were under threat of being over-run by a regiment of NVA. 22 of us were preparing for a pitched battle. One friend of mine was laying several hand grenades in front of himself and straightening the pins. When I asked him what he was doing he said "before I die I'm going to take as many of them with me as I can".
Interesting...he'd be dead either way. But, he had a principle that his life had a certain value.
If I'm going to be persecuted...I want to go out in a blaze of glory like Jim Elliot or Nate Saint. I want the value of my life to be measured in the hundreds...not just a few believers. How about you?
Live boldly out there today...
May 31, 2011
Acts 16:16-40, Paul and Silas Are Put in Jail
16One day on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl. She had a spirit in her that gave her the power to tell the future. By doing this she made a lot of money for her owners. 17The girl followed Paul and the rest of us and kept yelling, "These men are servants of the Most High God! They are telling you how to be saved."
18This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!" At once the evil spirit left her.
19When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. 20They told the officials, "These Jews are upsetting our city! 21They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do."
22The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. 23After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.
27When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! No one has escaped."
29The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. 30After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
31They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."
32Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. 33While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. 34They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.
35The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. 36The jailer told Paul, "The officials have ordered me to set you free. Now you can leave in peace."
37But Paul told the police, "We are Roman citizens, [d] and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out." 38When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid. 39So they came and apologized. They led them out of the jail and asked them to please leave town. 40But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord's followers and encouraged them. Then they left.
Tom Petty sings "I won't back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won't back down". It's a human emotion that comes when we've reached the limits of our patience. Most of us, as Christians would try not to be caught uttering such unsanctified bravado. Even at that, standing firm is easy to say..and hard to do.
Unless you're the Apostle Paul. And, I'm sure there's a lesson here.
Here we see Paul at the limits of his patience. First...he gets fed up with the little slave girl and demands the spirit of divination leave her. Bada bing...she's out of a job! For telling the truth, no less. then...after he gets beaten and thrown into prison he refuses to leave until he gets an apology...from the city officials.
By the way, he wasn't beaten for his religious fervor, but for the financial impact of his actions.
I don't think this is arrogance or narcissism. I think this is Paul saying "you cannot treat me disrespectfully or dismissively just because you don't like my faith. I have not given up the right to be treated properly.
Often we take abuse and attribute it to "suffering for Jesus". Often times our willingness to endure it only encourages bad behavior and establishes precedent for future abuse against other Christians. Paul certainly withstood lots of abuse. Just not this time.
What have you put up with lately that just seemed wrong? Maybe it's nothing more than a dismissive attitude that marginalizes us at work. I talked with a woman who complained about a six foot Iranian flag in her work mate's cubicle. She was told to mind her own business. However, when the workmate said she felt intimidated by this woman's own display of a small American flag she was ordered to remove it. When she refused, she was fired.
Enough is enough! Then again...I could get beat down for it. Maybe that's why I put up with it.
I wonder if I'm confident enough to be this assertive. I'll bet I would be if the Holy Spirit prompted me to be. I should listen a little closer. In case we need to be reminded...assertively defending his rights didn't seem to hinder Paul's evangelistic results.
Live boldly out there today...
18This went on for several days. Finally, Paul got so upset that he turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to leave this girl alone!" At once the evil spirit left her.
19When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court. 20They told the officials, "These Jews are upsetting our city! 21They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do."
22The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. 23After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.
27When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! No one has escaped."
29The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. 30After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
31They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."
32Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. 33While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized. 34They were very glad that they had put their faith in God. After this, the jailer took Paul and Silas to his home and gave them something to eat.
35The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go. 36The jailer told Paul, "The officials have ordered me to set you free. Now you can leave in peace."
37But Paul told the police, "We are Roman citizens, [d] and the Roman officials had us beaten in public without giving us a trial. They threw us into jail. Now do they think they can secretly send us away? No, they cannot! They will have to come here themselves and let us out." 38When the police told the officials that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, the officials were afraid. 39So they came and apologized. They led them out of the jail and asked them to please leave town. 40But Paul and Silas went straight to the home of Lydia, where they saw the Lord's followers and encouraged them. Then they left.
Tom Petty sings "I won't back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won't back down". It's a human emotion that comes when we've reached the limits of our patience. Most of us, as Christians would try not to be caught uttering such unsanctified bravado. Even at that, standing firm is easy to say..and hard to do.
Unless you're the Apostle Paul. And, I'm sure there's a lesson here.
Here we see Paul at the limits of his patience. First...he gets fed up with the little slave girl and demands the spirit of divination leave her. Bada bing...she's out of a job! For telling the truth, no less. then...after he gets beaten and thrown into prison he refuses to leave until he gets an apology...from the city officials.
By the way, he wasn't beaten for his religious fervor, but for the financial impact of his actions.
I don't think this is arrogance or narcissism. I think this is Paul saying "you cannot treat me disrespectfully or dismissively just because you don't like my faith. I have not given up the right to be treated properly.
Often we take abuse and attribute it to "suffering for Jesus". Often times our willingness to endure it only encourages bad behavior and establishes precedent for future abuse against other Christians. Paul certainly withstood lots of abuse. Just not this time.
What have you put up with lately that just seemed wrong? Maybe it's nothing more than a dismissive attitude that marginalizes us at work. I talked with a woman who complained about a six foot Iranian flag in her work mate's cubicle. She was told to mind her own business. However, when the workmate said she felt intimidated by this woman's own display of a small American flag she was ordered to remove it. When she refused, she was fired.
Enough is enough! Then again...I could get beat down for it. Maybe that's why I put up with it.
I wonder if I'm confident enough to be this assertive. I'll bet I would be if the Holy Spirit prompted me to be. I should listen a little closer. In case we need to be reminded...assertively defending his rights didn't seem to hinder Paul's evangelistic results.
Live boldly out there today...
May 30, 2011
Acts 16:11-15, Lydia Becomes a Follower of the Lord
11We sailed straight from Troas to Samothrace, and the next day we arrived in Neapolis. 12From there we went to Philippi, which is a Roman colony in the first district of Macedonia. [c] We spent several days in Philippi. 13Then on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to a place by the river, where we thought there would be a Jewish meeting place for prayer. We sat down and talked with the women who came. 14One of them was Lydia, who was from the city of Thyatira and sold expensive purple cloth. She was a worshiper of the Lord God, and he made her willing to accept what Paul was saying. 15Then after she and her family were baptized, she kept on begging us, "If you think I really do have faith in the Lord, come stay in my home." Finally, we accepted her invitation.
Lydia...we don't really know anything about her except what we read here. So, maybe this isn't about Lydia. Maybe it's just another in a long line of lessons the Holy Spirit is teaching the Apostles.
Which would be?
Well, they've already learned that Gentiles and Samaritans are To be viewed as equal in the Body of Christ. The short Epistle to Philemon shows us that slaves are to be treated as brothers within the Body (which, of course is a moot point in our country). We probably have only one disenfranchised group left...women. For Paul to accept an invitation to her home...on the strength of her faith...is tantamount to declaring her an equal.
So now, we can agree that God truly is not a respecter of persons. Unfortunately, the lesson has been lost somewhere in history. We spend a great deal of energy figuring out who is the "most equal" in the Body of Christ. We say women can't be elders and we use texts that have only incidental reference to gender. Yet, we will retain male elders who don't come within a country mile of satisfying the genuine intent of those passages.
I am not suggesting your church go out and ordain women if they don't already do so. I am asking if we honor God when we seek to marginalize anybody for whom His Son has died.
Live boldly out there today...
Lydia...we don't really know anything about her except what we read here. So, maybe this isn't about Lydia. Maybe it's just another in a long line of lessons the Holy Spirit is teaching the Apostles.
Which would be?
Well, they've already learned that Gentiles and Samaritans are To be viewed as equal in the Body of Christ. The short Epistle to Philemon shows us that slaves are to be treated as brothers within the Body (which, of course is a moot point in our country). We probably have only one disenfranchised group left...women. For Paul to accept an invitation to her home...on the strength of her faith...is tantamount to declaring her an equal.
So now, we can agree that God truly is not a respecter of persons. Unfortunately, the lesson has been lost somewhere in history. We spend a great deal of energy figuring out who is the "most equal" in the Body of Christ. We say women can't be elders and we use texts that have only incidental reference to gender. Yet, we will retain male elders who don't come within a country mile of satisfying the genuine intent of those passages.
I am not suggesting your church go out and ordain women if they don't already do so. I am asking if we honor God when we seek to marginalize anybody for whom His Son has died.
Live boldly out there today...
May 29, 2011
Acts16:6-10, Paul's Vision in Troas
6Paul and his friends went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let them preach in Asia. 7After they arrived in Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. 8So they went on through Mysia until they came to Troas. 9During the night, Paul had a vision of someone from Macedonia who was standing there and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" 10After Paul had seen the vision, we began looking for a way to go to Macedonia. We were sure that God had called us to preach the good news there.
I didn't take my assignment to Oslo, Norway in 1988. It was the only thing on my wish list. When we found out we would have had to board our oldest son in England, we turned it down (I know, missionaries do it all the time). That broke my heart...Mali's as well. I've been prevented from doing other things...but that might make me the most wistful.
I don't remember thinking "the Holy Spirit would not let me". There are two things wrong with this spiritual lapse: First, it prevented me from recognizing the truth about the event. Second, it altered my response to the disappointment.
The truth about the event...and all other events in the life of a believer...is that God would not let me. The reason doesn't really matter. Of course, I didn't recognize that truth. I thought the Air Force had ruined my dream. And believe me...San Angelo (my resulting assignment) was not Macedonia! We don't regret putting our son first, but my earthly perspective allowed me to be distracted into thinking in terms of earthly solutions.
My response was less that great. I was frustrated with myself for not simply "sucking it up" going to Oslo anyway. I was disappointed with Mali for not being stronger. I was irritated with Erik for being the wrong age. None of this reaction would have transpired if I simply would have had Paul's insight..."the Holy Spirit would not let me".
What disappointments are we facing today? What troubles are we trying to overcome? I promise you, our ability to respond appropriately is directly related to our ability to recognize God's role in our lives. In Paul's case, he basically shrugged and moved on to his next objective. This is a heavenly focus that results in heavenly solutions. It's the same Holy Spirit today...
Live boldly out there today...
I didn't take my assignment to Oslo, Norway in 1988. It was the only thing on my wish list. When we found out we would have had to board our oldest son in England, we turned it down (I know, missionaries do it all the time). That broke my heart...Mali's as well. I've been prevented from doing other things...but that might make me the most wistful.
I don't remember thinking "the Holy Spirit would not let me". There are two things wrong with this spiritual lapse: First, it prevented me from recognizing the truth about the event. Second, it altered my response to the disappointment.
The truth about the event...and all other events in the life of a believer...is that God would not let me. The reason doesn't really matter. Of course, I didn't recognize that truth. I thought the Air Force had ruined my dream. And believe me...San Angelo (my resulting assignment) was not Macedonia! We don't regret putting our son first, but my earthly perspective allowed me to be distracted into thinking in terms of earthly solutions.
My response was less that great. I was frustrated with myself for not simply "sucking it up" going to Oslo anyway. I was disappointed with Mali for not being stronger. I was irritated with Erik for being the wrong age. None of this reaction would have transpired if I simply would have had Paul's insight..."the Holy Spirit would not let me".
What disappointments are we facing today? What troubles are we trying to overcome? I promise you, our ability to respond appropriately is directly related to our ability to recognize God's role in our lives. In Paul's case, he basically shrugged and moved on to his next objective. This is a heavenly focus that results in heavenly solutions. It's the same Holy Spirit today...
Live boldly out there today...
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