Engaging Scripture

Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and growing as a Christian – Acts 18, Part 1

*Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash*

On Wheel of Fortune, what are the five letters contestants receive for free at the beginning of the final puzzle? Did you say, “RSTLNE”? If so, you’re right! Why does Wheel of Fortune give people those letters? It’s because they are the most commonly used letters in the English language.

Now let’s combine that with Jeopardy. I’m going to give you the most common answers to a question, and you tell me what the question is. The category is “Christianity,” and this is the $2000 Double Jeopardy question. Well, actually, I think you’ll find it an easy one, so maybe it is just the $400 question. Here is the answer:

Pray. Read your Bible. Go to Church.

What is the question?

How do you become a stronger Christian?

Did you guess that? To answer how you become a stronger Christian, what I suggested above are the most common answers for a reason. We teach them to our kids because they are very important, and whether young or old, Christians would do well to practice those habits on a regular consistent basis. The problem is that there are times in our lives as disciples of Jesus when we feel stuck. Maybe we’re not practicing the basics and we could be. But maybe it is something else. Maybe it is fear.

Are there fears holding you back? If you’ve ever felt even a touch of that, you’re not alone. When you’re in one a dry spell or struggle with fears, what should you do? How do you become a stronger Christian? How do you grow in your faith?

Turn to Acts 18, as we see that there are other ways to go stronger in the faith. We have been following the 2^nd missionary journey of Paul, and in Acts 18, we’ll see how the trip concludes with Paul’s last major stop, which we read about in Acts 18 verse 1.

That last major stop is the city of Corinth. To get from Athens (where we last left Paul) to Corinth, Paul could either travel by land or by sea, each route about 50 miles. Corinth was a major city at the time, with a possible population of 250,000 free persons and 400,000 slaves. It was situated at a significant crossroads for travelers and commerce. There were at least 12 temples in the city, and perhaps the most famous, or infamous, was the temple to the goddess Aphrodite, which included a practice of temple prostitution. Historians note that at one time there were 1,000 sacred prostitutes serving at the temple. It is probably no surprise, then, that in Corinth immorality was the norm. In fact the word “Corinth” became a verb, “to corinthianize,” which meant “to practice sexual immorality.”

Quite the place, huh? Let’s continue reading verses 2 and 3 to see what Paul will do there.

Paul makes some new friends, Aquilla and Priscilla. In verse 2 we learn about a situation that is recorded in the ancient history books, “because of tumults caused by Chrestus,” Jews were forced to leave Rome. Who is Chrestus? Christ! What tumults did Christ cause? Well, if you review Paul’s adventures in Acts, we’ve studied a number of times he faced riots and upheaval in cities because he preached Christ. Is it possible that is what the Roman Caesar reacted to? Possibly! So it wasn’t Christ in person, but it was the Christian movement that led to the deportation of the Jews from Rome. But that is curious, isn’t it? Why would the Caesar kick the Jews from Rome, when it was Christian preaching that led to tumult? It could be that the Romans didn’t distinguish between the two groups, especially when you consider that Christianity came out of Judaism. Or perhaps it was simply that it was the Jews who so strongly reacted against Christianity. Either way, Aquilla and Priscilla have to leave, and they move to Corinth.

There Paul has a special connection with Aquilla and Priscilla because they share the same profession, tent-making, which mostly likely involved sewing animal skins together. In our day, we would say they were leatherworkers, making more than tents. Think canopies, awnings, tarps, bags, etc.

This word “tent-making” is used in missionary lingo today, referring to people who live and minister bi-vocationally in a different culture, particularly in nations where it is difficult or impossible to get a visa for Christian ministry. That’s exactly what Paul, Aquilla and Priscilla were doing in Corinth. What will they do in addition to working with leather? Check back in to the next post, and we’ll find out.

Practical ideas to help you talk about God – Acts 17, Part 5

Talking about religion, God, or church can be tricky. But if it is the least bit true, it deserves to be talked about, doesn’t it? This is the last in a series of posts on Acts 17 (starting here), and each step along the way we’ve observed the creative and engaging way that Paul tells the story of Jesus. He knew his audience. He was able to speak in their language, using ideas and concepts that were meaningful to them.

When we think about telling the story of Jesus to people in our day, we would do well to follow the example of Paul. What are the cultural touch points that can help us connect with people to share the story of Jesus? For Paul it the was the statue to the unknown god (which I wrote about here) and the Greco-Roman poets (which I wrote about here).

Can you think about any similar touchpoints in our day? I would like to suggest a few I thought of, and I invite you to comment below with your suggestions.

I recently watched the TV Show Devs, and I think it could be a cultural touch point especially for people who are into new TV shows or sci-fi. It is about a CEO of a fictional tech company like Apple or Google or Microsoft, and the CEO lost his young daughter and wife in a car accident. He tries to leverage his wealth and the technological capabilities of his company to deal with his pain. I won’t give away the story, but I will say that some of the main themes of the show are about free will and determinism. Are we humans free or are we slaves to our fate? Can we change our fate? These are deep questions that just might open the door to a conversation about faith. This might be especially true during a worldwide pandemic when many people are wondering if God is in control. What if you start a group that watches a show together and discusses it?

Or given the worldwide protests for racial justice, what if you invite friends to do a book study about it? I highly recommend the podcast Seeing White. That series helped change my views. I’ve listened to the 14 episodes three times through, and each time I learn more. What if you were to ask a group of friends to listen and discuss together? If people prefer reading, the podcast is available in transcript format. Listen or read each episode on your own, and then gather (including a Zoom option) to discuss what you’re learning.

Or what about a hobby you enjoy? I have a pastor friend who loves running, so his story really stuck out to me. He decided to start a running club in his community, trying to make friends with people who like to jog. Tons of people started participating in the club! Do you have a hobby or interest like that? Invite people to join you.

As we seek connections to share the love of Christ, let us remember that people are not projects, and we should treat everyone like living breathing human beings made in the image of God. Equally loved, no matter if people follow Christ or not.

I write this in the early summer of 2020, when church doors are re-opening after three months of quarantine from Covid-19, and there might be a temptation to look inward, but let us instead look outward. Let’s ask God to help us find those cultural touch points that can help us make connections with people to share the amazing story of abundant life and eternal life in Jesus.

When talking about Jesus, it might be best not to refer to the Bible? – Acts 17, Part 4

What do you think about the title of this blog post? If you are a Christian, are you wondering if it bad advice? When we talk about Jesus, why would we not refer to the Bible? When I was a teenager going on mission trips with my church youth group, and then when I was a young adult in Bible college, I learned lots of verses and passages from the Bible that teachers and authors suggested should be peppered into conversations about Jesus, in order to properly talk about how to have a relationship with him. But what if the people we’re talking with don’t know about the Bible? What if they are not convinced of its authenticity? What if they believe other ways of looking at life are authoritative?

As we saw in the first post in this series on Acts 17, the reality is that American culture is changing, and we should not assume that quoting biblical passages is a meaningful way to connect people with the story of Jesus. Interestingly, we would do well to learn from the example of Paul in Athens. In the previous post, we learned that the academic community heard Paul conversing about Jesus, and they brought him to their gathering of scholars on Mars Hill, giving him a chance to share his views. As I mentioned in the previous post, Paul used a three-step method in his speech, with the goal of inviting the people there to consider that God wants to be in close relationship with them, a view that would have been very different for most of the people in the group listening to him.

Paul knows, therefore, that he has to prove his case, especially to the scholars there who disagree with his view of God. So in verse 28, he does something incredibly smart. To provide some backing to his argument, Paul draws on his knowledge of Greco-Roman poets, showing that they have written about the very things Paul is talking about. Of course, those poets weren’t referring to Jesus. But those poets made some statements that supported Paul’s relational view of God.

The first poet Paul quotes is Epimenides who wrote, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Very relational, right? Epimenides is describing a view where humanity has a very close connection to deity. The next phrase, “We are his offspring,” is possibly from the poet Arastus, another Greco-Roman poet talking about how humanity is closely connected to God.

Paul wants the people at Mars Hill to see the relational nature of God. Humanity is connected to God. It doesn’t matter that the Greco-Roman view of deity was different from the Judeo-Christian view. All that Paul is trying to do is establish a bridge between the two theological systems so that he can help his listeners cross that bridge.

Why? Because he wants to introduce the people to Jesus. And that is exactly what he does next. In verses 29-31, he concludes that if God wants to be in relationship with us, then it does not make sense for us to conceive of God as an idol made of stone or wood. Instead, God invites people everywhere to repent of that viewpoint. God is a living being who created us and wants to be in relationship with us.

Furthermore, Paul says, God has done something amazing to prove this relational idea of God. What did God do? He rose someone from the dead. Resurrection. Notice Paul doesn’t mention Jesus. Or belief. He simply says that there is a man from God who brings justice to the world, and the proof that this special messenger is from God is that God raised this man from the dead.

That claim causes a stir in the crowd that day on Mars Hill, as you can read in verses 32-34.

“Resurrection? Really, Paul?”, you can almost hear some of them say to him, thinking Paul is a babbler, “A dead person came back to life?” To some in the Areopagus that day, this sounds preposterous.

We Christians believe resurrection is the essential miracle of our faith, of course, but some people that day sneered at Paul, just as some people in our day struggle with the idea of the resurrection. But as Paul would go on to write in 1^st Corinthians 15, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, our faith is in vain. The resurrection of Jesus is absolutely necessary for Christian faith.

But because dead people don’t come back to life, is it reasonable to believe in the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection? A person who denies the possibility of the miraculous or the supernatural will say, “No, it is not reasonable,” and they would be entirely consistent with their view of life. Responding to them, I would ask if they would join me in looking at the evidence. Much more thorough investigation has been done, than I have time for in this blog, but I do want to mention a few words. If you want to read much better sources, I’d be glad to point you to some, starting with Surprised by Hope by NT Wright.

Admittedly, the case for the resurrection is circumstantial. It is something that Christians believe by faith. Theologically, we believe God is capable of such a miracle, like raising Jesus from the dead. But did he?

The primary piece of evidence I commend to you is Jesus’ body. There were plenty of people in Jerusalem that first Easter weekend, and in the days and weeks that followed Jesus’ death, including people who had a vested interest in squelching the Christian movement. That’s why they killed Jesus. They wanted what they considered to be a cult, an uprising, to go away. But it just kept growing and growing. The reasons why it grew were numerous, but most important among them was the claim made by Jesus’ followers that Jesus’ dead body had come back to life. The Jewish and Roman authorities who wanted to stop this movement could have easily discredited this outlandish miraculous claim. All they had to do was bring out the dead body. They never did. We believe they couldn’t produce a body because that body had risen again.

Are there other potential reasons that the Jewish and Roman authorities could not produce a body? Sure. Jesus’ disciples could have stolen the body and disposed of it, which is what Matthew’s account suggests the authorities claimed at the time. But the likelihood of that is suspect, as the disciples were extremely skittish, afraid that the Jews and Romans could conspire to kill them, as they easily did to Jesus. The apostles were in hiding. Furthermore, would they risk their lives at that moment, then proclaim a lie (namely, that Jesus had bodily risen) for the rest of their lives, and then sacrifice their own lives for what they knew was false? It seems fairly unreasonable to believe Jesus’ disciples would pursue that. To be fair, other religious leaders have staked their lives on total fabrications, so it is not impossible. In the end, we have evidence for and against the resurrection, and in my view the evidence for the bodily resurrection of Jesus far outweighs the other.

In Athens, Paul was talking with a group of highly educated people, people who had very good reason to be skeptical about an idea so fantastical as the bodily resurrection of the dead. His creative approach to sharing this story of good news, by employing Greco-Roman poets to substantiate his claim that God wants to be in close relationship with humanity, won some over and it turned others away. As we seek to talk to people in our day about the good news promised by Jesus, and verified by his resurrection, like Paul, we face a tall order. What cultural connection points might help us? Check back in to the next post as I’ll talk about a few that I’ve discovered!

3 steps to follow when talking about God (to avoid offending people) – Acts 17, Part 3

It can be difficult and scary to talk about God. And maybe for some of us, it always will be, as talking about God can feel very personal, or very easily offensive. But in this post, as we continue to follow Paul’s journey as told in Acts 17, Paul will demonstrate how to talk about God with graciousness. In the first post, Paul was in Thessalonica, and the in second post we learned about his visit to Berea. After his ministry was so well-received in Berea, trouble flared up, so Paul traveled to Athens.

In Paul’s day Athens was, as it is now, a historically famous city, featuring the famous Parthenon, depicted above. A couple hundred years before Paul’s time, Athens was home to some of history’s greatest philosophical minds: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Things had changed since those days when Athens was the center of the philosophical world, but even in Paul’s day, Athens was still a very important academic city.

We read in verse 16 that soon after Paul arrives in the city, he became greatly distressed because he noticed many idols there. Eventually, using his regular custom, he begins his ministry by visiting Athens’ Jewish synagogue. He “reasons” with his fellow Jews there, as well as with people in marketplace. The Greek word for “reasons” is where we get our English word “dialogue.” It could be that Paul was giving a formal speech, but it seems more likely that he was engaging people in conversation.

Once again trouble follows Paul. In verse 18 we read that the Athenian philosophers start to dispute with him. These academic elites are watching this newcomer Paul preaching boldly in their city streets, and some call Paul a “babbler.” In the original language these philosophers are making fun of Paul, using a word picture that likened Paul to a bird that picks up seeds. What did they mean? One source I read says that they were accusing Paul of being the kind of person who, “learns lots of trivial things and wants to tell everyone about his knowledge, ‘a pseudo-intellectual who insists on spouting off’.” (Louw & Nida)

You probably know people like this. Know-it-alls. They talk…a lot. They almost certainly don’t know as much as they think they know, or as much they want everyone to believe they know. They’re babblers!

When these philosophers, whose lives have been dedicated to reading and learning big ideas, encounter Paul in the marketplace talking about Jesus, some think he is a pretender. They bring him to a meeting of the Areopagus, which translated means “Hill of Ares,” or “Hill of Mars,” depending on whether you go with the Greek or Roman name for the same god. Most often, the place they take Paul to is called Mars Hill, and it was a regular gathering place for philosophers and academics in the city. Why do they take Paul there? It seems that though they are inquiring about his teaching, many are not taking him seriously. But maybe there were some who were genuinely interested in the new ideas that Paul was teaching. So they give him a shot.

Now let’s pay close attention to what Paul says in front of this gathering of academics. This would be a tall order for Paul, wouldn’t it? How would you feel about telling the story of Jesus to a group of college professors? What will Paul do? Paul uses some methods in his speech that just might be very helpful for us, as we seek to talk about Jesus in our communities, whether we are talking to intellectual people or any others. Read verses 22-27, and try to discover Paul’s approach.

Did you see how creatively he handles this unique occasion? Paul is not speaking to Jews, so he doesn’t mention Jewish Scriptures or ideas. Instead, in front of the Greco-Roman academic elite of Athens, Paul speaks in words and concepts that they will understand. He uses a three-step process to tell the story of Jesus. In this post, we’ll look at the three steps, and in the next post, we’ll further examine how he develops his speech. So maybe look over Paul’s speech again, verses 22-27, and see if you can observe the three steps. Then come back, and continue with the post, as I attempt to describe Paul’s steps here.

First, he begins by complimenting them, saying they are very religious. He talks about walking around Athens looking at their religious symbols. This is a wise move on Paul’s part because he knows the story of Jesus might feel like a critique to their view of life. He starts off with a compliment to show he is not on the attack.

Second, he finds a connection point. When he first arrived in Athens and walked around the city, he says he noticed one altar in particular had an inscription, “to an unknown god.” Paul is eager to find a cultural touch-point that might serve as a bridge to communicate the gospel, and this altar is it. You can see his eyes light up when he first noticed that altar. The unknown god…, he thinks, that is what Jesus is to them, unknown. Perhaps Paul can help the unknown become the known. Maybe this altar will help the Athenians make a philosophical connection to the one true God.

Third, only after complimenting them and connecting with them does Paul begin to communicate the story of Jesus. He doesn’t start with Jesus though. He goes back further to talk about the one true God. Notice in verses 24 and following that Paul presents a particular view of God. In other words, Paul is doing some theology and philosophy of his own here. His is a biblical view of God, but one that not everyone in the Areopagus would agree with.

As he continues, he makes a statement about the relationship between God and man. Look at verse 27. Paul explains why God created humanity. God wants people to seek him, reach out for him, and find him. Paul is presenting a relational view of God. This is a God who wants to be close with his creation. Paul goes even further when he says that God not only desires closeness with humans, God is also “not far from each one of us.” Paul wants his listeners to know of the possibility of a warm relationship between God and humanity. Again, this would be a different conception of God for some of the people listening to Paul.

Paul has complimented them, he has found a connection point, and he has begun to communicate the message of the one true God who wants to have a close relationship with humanity. Paul knows that he has to prove his case to the scholars there who disagree with his view of God, especially because he has more to say about the resurrection, and they had previously (vs. 18-20) called his teaching into question. So in verse 28, he does something incredibly smart, and we’ll learn more about that in the next post.

For now, think about Paul’s three-step method: compliment, connect, communicate. How can you follow Paul’s example as you tell the story of Jesus in your community?

How to listen to sermons (or any teaching from the Bible) – Acts 17, Part 2

In the summer between my sophomore and junior year of college, I was on a college ministry team that traveled around the Northeast USA spending 10 weeks ministering at summer camps. One week we served at Camp Berea in Maine. Camp Berea gets its name from the people we’re going to meet today as we continue studying Acts 17. Why? Because the description of the people in Berea is what the camp wanted its campers to become: good listeners of sermons.

Really? A camp wanted its campers to be good listeners of sermons? Well, kinda. Keep reading, and I think you’ll see what I’m getting at.

In the previous post, we learned that Paul and Silas were forced to leave the city of Thessalonica under cover of night. They travel to Berea, about 45 miles, a full day’s walk. There they enter the Jewish synagogue, and something extraordinary happens. See for your self in Acts 17:11-12.

What was so extraordinary in Berea? The people!

First, the Bereans were of more noble character.

Second, they received the message with great eagerness.

Third, they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Here we have a wonderful example of how to listen to sermons, to teachings, to posts on social media or any place we hear the teaching of the Word of God. As pastor and teacher, I have to admit that there is part of me that gets a little nervous about people who are like the Bereans. I can think, “What if they find a mistake in my sermons? What if their understanding of a passage is superior to mine?” Believe me, both of those have happened, more often than I care to admit.

At Faith Church, we have worship first, and classes afterwards. One of our classes is sermon discussion group, and I love it. I don’t prepare for sermon discussion class. Instead it is an open discussion where anyone can attend and talk further about the sermon. I have two goals in the 45 minutes allotted for sermon discussion class: 1. Talk about the Scripture passage and 2. Seek to apply the scriptural principles from the passage to our actual lives. I usually start by asking, “What’s on your mind? What questions or concerns or comments do you have about the passage?” From there sermon discussion is a freewheeling flow of thought that can take us all over the biblical, theological, and cultural landscape, sometimes far from the main themes of the sermon, including people sometimes pointing out my mistakes! You know what? I’m okay with that. In my way of thinking, that’s very much in keeping with what the Bereans were doing in Acts 17. Listening, thinking, researching, questioning, discussing. These are the raw materials for deep learning.

Notice how the Bereans respond to Paul in verse 11. Did the Bereans receive the message with great skepticism, with mistrust, or with a critical spirit? No, they received it with great eagerness! Do you think that would make a difference? I can tell you from the perspective of one who does teaching, including when the students point out my mistakes, and maybe especially when they point out mistakes, it makes a great difference when the students are eager to learn!

Are you eager to receive the word? What the Bereans demonstrate is a teachable heart. Can you say that you have a heart that is teachable, ready to learn what God is saying to you in his word?

Sadly, after that initial great response of eagerness from the people in Berea, things go south. Look at verses 13-15. The Jews from Thessalonica show up in Berea and stir up the crowds against Paul. So Paul heads to Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy in Berea with instructions to meet him as soon as possible.

Be like the Bereans, eager to receive the word. Be willing to do the work of testing what you hear. It is a tricky balance between trust and accountability. I’d like to believe you can trust that what I write here is faithful to the Scriptures, but I also invite you to ask questions, to research for yourself, and let me know if you disagree or find mistakes I’ve made.

Also, I encourage you study God’s word with other people. At Faith Church, this is why we have sermon discussion class and small groups. It is highly likely that what the Bereans were doing in groups. Be eager to study God’s word within a community, a church family.

Why is it so hard to talk about religion? – Acts 17, Part 1

7 Ways To Deal With Pressure Before DJing - Digital DJ Tips

How do you feel talking about Jesus or about religion? Do you find it easy or difficult to talk with others about these topics?

When it come to talking about Jesus, I had a bit of a reality check this week. As a pastor, you can imagine that I talk about Jesus a lot, but something happened that had me feeling nervous about talking. Faith Church’s Outreach Team made gift baskets that anyone in the church could give to neighbors and friends, simply to encourage people during the pandemic. I ordered three of the baskets to give to my neighbors. I also ordered 6-7 more to give to the neighbors around the church who I’ve met over the years, including some neighbors who have newly moved in this year. The Outreach Team made the baskets, and they looked great, filled with candy and items to spread joy during the pandemic. It was a great way to connect with people.

But when I saw the baskets on the floor of the church lobby, waiting to be picked up and delivered, I realized I now would actually have to give mine out. Part of me didn’t want to! Part of me started feeling like I wished I hadn’t asked for the baskets. I love the idea, but I realized now I would have to do something about it, and that shy, introverted side of me was feeling squeamish. I would have to go a bit outside my comfort zone, walk up to neighbors’ homes, ring their doorbells, and talk with them. Have you ever felt that unease? I wonder how much of that is an inner desire for the mission of God to be easy or convenient.

But we don’t live in the days of years past when the mission of God was a more common part of our culture. In the past, you could build a church building, and people would fill it up almost naturally. Or in more recent years, if a church had great kids programs and music, it seemed people would join the church. But our culture has been changing, rapidly. In October 2019 the Pew Research Center reported that “the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular,’ now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.” From 17% to 26% in ten years! We live in a culture in transition. How do we respond to that?

One way to respond is to pray for revival. This past year I studied the Great Awakenings in American history in the 1700s and 1800s, when the Spirit was at work for revival and thousands of people came to Christ. I am part of the Evangelical Congregational Church, and our predecessor denomination was formed in the early 1800s during the Second Great Awakening. Today Christians would love for God to bring revival again, and we are right to pray for it. But until that time, we must face the reality that our culture that is rapidly changing, and we have to think about how to share the good news of Jesus in a way that makes sense to that culture. So what do we do? Interestingly, the Christians in the early church faced a similar situation.

Last week in Acts chapter 16, we studied Paul & Silas’ missionary adventures, culminating in a very dramatic situation in the city of Philippi. Chapter 17 picks up where 16 concluded, and there we’ll see how Paul ministers in a very unchristian culture. How he speaks to his culture is very instructive for us as we seek to tell the story of Jesus in our culture.

First, we read that Paul and Silas travel to Thessalonica (vs. 1-9), which is in modern-day Greece and is still a bustling city today. There you can also visit ancient Roman ruins dating back to Paul’s day. As was his custom, in Thessalonica Paul heads first for the Jewish synagogue, sharing with the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah the Jewish people had long been waiting for. Some believed, as did some Greeks, including some prominent women.

What happens next is becoming a pattern in the book of Acts. The Jews who don’t believe become jealous and they start trouble. I find it interesting that the Jews say the apostles were causing trouble “all over the world” (vs. 6). Talk about exaggeration. Isn’t that so like us humans, to make things sound way worse than they really are, a tactic we utilize when we’re trying to prove our point?

Notice what the Jews claim was the crime the apostles committed (vs. 7): “They are defying Caesar’s decree, saying there is another king, one called Jesus.” While it is true that the Jews are jealous and exaggerating, in making this charge, they are right on the money. Defying Caesar’s decree is exactly what Paul was doing, saying that Jesus is the one true king. This is a serious claim, as the Jews well know, because if proven, it was a violation that could lead to the death penalty for Paul. The Roman Caesars were generally intolerant of contenders to their throne, and they made laws against such things. What the Jews are doing is saying that Paul has committed treason, and thus you can understand why it whips the crowd into a frenzy.

As a result Paul and Silas flee leave the city under cover of night (vs. 10). Stayed tuned. The story of Acts 17 will unfold, following the apostles as they continue traveling and talking about Jesus. How Paul, in particular, chooses to talk about Jesus will be very helpful.

For me, I let those gift baskets sit for a few days. Once the weekend neared, I finally mustered up the courage to drive them around to the church neighbors. And then on Saturday handed out a couple to my own neighbors. I will admit that the deadline of Sunday loomed over me. I didn’t want to tell the story of baskets without a resolution. If someone asked, “Well…did you hand them out?” I wanted to be able to say, “Yes!” I wish I didn’t have to admit that I wasn’t 100% eager to give out the baskets. Looking back on it, I feel embarrassed a bit. It wasn’t like I was doing anything other than blessing people with a small gift. How hard could that be? Why did I make it so difficult?

Maybe you’ve experienced similar thoughts and feelings. I’d be interested in hearing your stories. What convicts me is the reality that because I believe in the good news of Jesus, and the ramifications of that good news for people to have abundant life now and eternal life after death, then I should be much more passionate about sharing the good news. What do you think?

What we will see is that Paul, in Acts 17, continues to be passionate about talking with people about Jesus, and he does something that is uniquely creative that I believe we can learn from. More on that as we continue studying Acts 17 in the next posts!

Make the choice to rejoice – Acts 16, Part 5

*Photo by Jonathan Sebastiao on Unsplash*

Our study through Acts 16 has been filled with drama, and in the final verses, 35-40, there’s one more dramatic loose end to tie up. Though the local magistrates give Paul and Silas their freedom, Paul says, “No. We’re staying.” What? He voluntarily stays in prison? Why? Paul is making a point, letting the magistrates know that this whole process was not handled properly. Paul is advocating for justice. As Roman Citizens, they should not have been beaten and thrown in prison without a trial. And yet that’s what happened. The magistrates had treated them very unjustly. Paul suspects the magistrates know this, and want to sweep the injustice under the rug and just have Paul and Silas leave.

Paul says, “No way.” Paul knows that it isn’t right, and justice must be given. Additionally, think about the ramifications of this situation to the new group of Christians there in Philippi. If their church was started by a guy who was punished as a criminal, imagine what that could do to the church? It could delegitimize them. Paul doesn’t just want to be free, he wants the whole city to know that he and Silas should never have been in prison, which will give the fledgling church a clean record. So he says, “No way, we’re staying here until the magistrates themselves come in person and escort us out.” It seems that Paul is going for a solution that would atone for the injustice. In other words, by coming in person and escorting them out, the magistrates would be forced to admit their fault for all to see, thus exonerating Paul and Silas. And that is exactly what happened.

The magistrates do ask Paul and Silas to leave the city, however, which I find a bit humorous. The magistrates want peace, and upheaval seems to follow Paul wherever he goes. It is the righteous upheaval of the Kingdom of Jesus bring truth and justice to the brokenness of society. People can become so accustomed to injustice, thinking it is normal, that when Jesus breaks in, it can feel like he is messing things up, when actually he is making things right. So after meeting with the new Christians at Lydia’s house, Paul and Silas leave.

As we have seen through Acts 16, Paul and Silas’ visit to Philippi shows us a stark example of the difference that Jesus makes, particularly when we go through difficult times. Can we rejoice during the upheaval of 2020? How are supposed to rejoice in the midst of difficulty?

“Rejoice in the Lord, always, and again I say, rejoice!” (Philippian 4:4) Paul wrote that while in chains on house arrest! Just as he and Silas prayed and sang to God after being beaten and thrown in prison.

We can learn to rejoice in all circumstances. It is a choice we must make, to rejoice even when we don’t feel like it. I get how hard this can be. And yet we can practice it. Our circumstances do not need to rule us.

And here is the beautiful thing, people are hungry for joy. We crave it. Let us be known as the ones who choose joy. Let us be so filled with the joy of the Lord, that it can’t help but flow out.

What will I tell my grandkids in the coming years when they study 2020 in their history classes? Will I tell them that it was horrible and awful and terrible? I hope I tell them the truth about the difficulties, but I also will remember the campfires with friends and the laughter. I will remember the Zoom sessions with my classmates in my doctoral program, just laughing. I will think with joy about the additional family time.

I will share with my grandkids about the hardships that we faced and yet brought to light in our world. I look forward to the resolutions for racial justice I can share with them that by that time have come to pass. I am expectant of good things coming to light in the midst of such pain for so many. I am expectant of redemption, and that brings joy and praise in the midst of pain and sorrow. Remember joy is not the same as happiness. Joy can be felt and experienced in the midst of deep pain and difficulty.

We see in this passage the transformative ability of joy. We read that joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, as Paul taught in Galatians 5. When we are so filled with the joy of the Lord, it flows naturally out of our lives, even in times of difficulty. And that joy has power to transform the darkness, just as we saw in Philippi.

When you and I are joyful in the midst of pain and hardship, God is not only at work in us, but also through us. I recently saw photos of a baptismal set up at the sight of George Floyd’s death; there was singing, there was rejoicing, and there were people seeking Jesus and coming to know him. They were being baptized. That is deep joy in the midst of deep pain. It does not mean that the struggles are over. But joy was found in the midst of it.

A person is baptized at the site where George Floyd was killed on Memorial Day at the hands of police officers. Several groups are holding daily services at that location offering hope and healing.

How can you bring the transformative joy of the Lord into the darkness? I know that there is a time to weep, to cry, to lament. Those are needed and good. But we also need to see there is a time for joy! And joy can be found in the midst of difficult times. Joy does not mean all is well. Joy does not mean conflict is done. Joy is from the Lord. It is deep, it is strength. “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.” No matter what is coming next in our world, in our homes, let’s remember to rejoice in the Lord.

How to have hope even when it seems all is lost – Acts 16, Part 4

Have you ever lost hope? You might know the feeling, either from something in real life when disaster has struck, or maybe you had one of those vivid nightmares that seem totally real, and you wake up, sweating, heart racing, so thankful it was just a dream. The loss of hope can cause us to despair. But it is possible to have hope, even when it seems all is lost.

We see this in numerous ways in the next section of Acts 16. The apostles have been beaten and thrown in jail, then something unexpected happens. If you have a Bible, please read Acts 16 verse 26.

An earthquake breaks the apostles out of jail! Amazing. Simply amazing.

Except that one person there didn’t think it was so amazing. Now read verses 27-28. The jailer does not think this is amazing. If you’re the jailer, when the earthquake hits, and you see the prison doors open, you’re thinking one thing: “My life is over.” Why? In fact, the jailer is so distraught, he draws his sword to take his own life at this moment. Clearly he is thinking that the open doors of the prison mean that the prisoners have escaped. You and I might respond to him, “Wait a minute, buddy, this was no fault of your own. This was, in contemporary insurance lingo, an act of God. No one’s going to hold you to that. I mean, how could you have done anything to prepare for, or avert, an earthquake? Calm down, man.”

If we are thinking that way, we aren’t understanding the expectations of that culture. In the Roman system, if a jailer or guard lost a prisoner, that jailer or guard’s life would be demanded in his place. So rather than go through the indignity of being killed, the jailer apparently thinks he is just going to get it over with. It is hard, maybe, to put ourselves in his shoes, but that is how emotional he is, assuming that all is lost.

But all is not lost. In fact, nothing was lost. So Paul quickly calls out, telling the jailer, “Don’t harm yourself!,” because all the prisoners are still in there. When I read Paul saying that in verse 28, I think, “Really? Not a single prisoner took off?” I don’t know what is more amazing: that Paul and Silas were praying and singing while in suffering, or that an earthquake blew open the doors of the prison and loosed their chains, or that none of the prisoners fled the scene.

Why did the prisoners stay put? We don’t know. Some people have speculated that Paul and Silas made sure all the prisoners remained. The text doesn’t say that though.

As you can imagine, the jailer is dumbfounded, incredulous, and quite happy. See for yourselves by reading verses 29-34. The situation shook him to the core, and falling before the Apostles, he asks them what he needs to do to be saved. Saved? What did he mean by that?

Look at verse 17 again. Remember the slave girl possessed by the Spirit? She kept yelling out that these men, Paul and Silas, were servants of the Most High God who can tell people the way to be saved. That is exactly what Paul and Silas were doing, day after day, in Philippi. My guess is that word had gotten around about the message that Paul and Silas were preaching, the message of good news in Jesus, of what being saved meant. The way Luke tells the story, it seems likely that the jailer lived near enough to the prison that he could have heard as Paul and Silas were praying and singing, after being beaten, after being thrown in chains. Did their choice to pray and sing in the midst of difficulty make an impact on the jailer, if he heard them? It seems to me it must have. I can imagine the jailer thinking, “Clearly these Jesus people are different. They get treated so miserably, and yet they pray and sing?” The other prisoners hearing them were probably thinking, “Either these guys are off their rockers, or Jesus makes a major impact on the lives of people.”

And then the earthquake wrecked the jail, and the prisoners stay put. Imagine going from the horrible certainty of thinking that your life is over, to the hard-to-believe surprise that your life is actually not over, because all of the prisoners are still there! That’s what the jailer is experiencing, and his conclusion is that the apostles have the true story about life. These guys are different from anything he has previously encountered. Whatever this Jesus and salvation is that they are talking about, he wants to know more. He wants what they have. So he asks for salvation, and the apostles share the gospel to him and his whole house.

The jailer washes their wounds from the beating. Then he and his whole family are baptized, immediately. With a new joy in his heart, he invites the apostles into his house for a meal. It is an astounding turn of events.

The story concludes with even more good news, and we’ll learn about that in the next post.

For now, I wonder if you know the hope of salvation in Jesus? What the jailer in this story found, you can have too. Comment below if you’d like to learn more!

How to respond when your world is suddenly shattered – Acts 16, Part 3

Have you had one of those days where things are going so well, and all of a sudden, something happens and your life is turned upside-down? Maybe it is when the boss walks in, says “We’re letting you go, please turn in your key and company credit card, and collect your things.” Maybe it is a close friend who says, “I’m moving away.” Maybe it is a bad report from the doctor.

As we learned in the previous post on Acts 16, Paul & Silas and their missionary friends journey to the city of Philippi, and things are going wonderfully. Read verses 16-24, because things are about to take a turn for the worst.

The apostles, we read, encounter a slave girl who had a spirit enabling her to predict the future. Scholars tell us that she was essentially a fortune-teller, and her owners profited greatly off of her ability.

She decides to follow the apostles and their friends, shouting that they are servants of God, and that they have the message of how to be saved. Imagine that scene! That had to be super awkward for Paul and Silas. They wanted everyone to become followers of Jesus, so did they try to gently ask her to stop? Or were they glad she was telling the truth. Did they view this as help or a hindrance? Did they discuss among themselves what they should do? Did she cause a commotion? It’s a strange situation.

After a few days of this, Paul clearly views this as a hindrance, and he turns to the slave girl and commands the spirit to leave her. Immediately the spirit is gone. The power of light over the power of darkness! She was free! Good news, right? Wrong.

Now that her abilities were gone, her masters could no longer profit from her. They are angry! Her owners take drastic action, essentially performing a citizen’s arrest on Paul and Silas, accusing them of unlawfulness before the local magistrates. Paul and Silas are stripped and beaten with a severe flogging, and thrown in jail, with their feet in stocks. This is awful, awful stuff.

When I envision Paul and Silas in that prison, I think of images from Sunday school lessons that I heard as a child. I have those images in my mind, and usually Paul and Silas are sitting on the floor, feet in stocks, but they don’t have any wounds. In verse 23, we read that they took a severe flogging. This is similar to what Jesus received before his crucifixion. We need to see Paul and Silas with blood all over them, hurting badly, probably in pain every move they make.

Paul and Silas are in a really bad predicament, but in verse 25, we read something astounding: they are praying and singing to God.

Come on. Really? Singing at that moment? Think about it. Falsely accused, beaten to a pulp, thrown in prison, feet in stocks, and why? Because they are serving the Lord! But they are still praying and singing to him?

When I have the smallest medical problem, I can start to think that my life is ending. That might sound dramatic, and I suppose it is to a degree, but I have to admit that can really allow my thoughts to get out of control. Near the beginning of quarantine, I started having a cough, and my mind went down a dark path. I thought, I must have Covid-19, and this is the end of. Then I heard the reports about younger people, including people who were physically active, getting Covid and dying fast. And my mind and emotions spiral. Have you ever experienced that?

Yet here are Paul and Silas, in the middle of their pain, in prison having been beaten badly, and they are praying and singing hymns! When you read that word, “hymns,” it is not referring to a particular genre of songs, as if they had hymn books. In fact the original language doesn’t tell us what genre they were singing at all. This phrase is better translated simply “they were singing.”

So what kinds of songs were Paul and Silas were they singing? We don’t’ know. Might have been psalms. It is possible that they were singing psalms of lament, crying out to God to rescue them. Or maybe they were singing psalms of praise. They might have been singing new songs that the Christians had created. The biblical scholars who study the text of the New Testament find a number of passages that are possibly lyrics from some of these early songs.

Speculate with me a bit here: since Paul and Silas are in Philippi, wouldn’t it be cool if they were singing a song that Paul writes about in his later letter to the Philippian church? Is there such a song in the letter to the Philippians? There almost certainly is: Philippians 2:5-11. A song about Jesus and the victory of Jesus! When Paul and Silas are stuck in prison, perhaps they were singing about the victory of Jesus! Interestingly to me at least, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul mentions rejoicing a lot! Eight times, in fact; more than any of his other letters, including the famous Philippians 4:4, where he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!”

And get this…guess where Paul was when he wrote the letter to the Philippians? In chains again. He says so in Philippians 1:13-14, which took place years later in a different city, and was likely house arrest and not prison. But he was still in chains.

Isn’t that interesting? Paul’s interaction with the Philippian Christians potentially involves a lot of rejoicing while in chains. Perhaps in the prison that night in Philippi, and certainly later in his letter, Paul is almost certainly teaching by his example and by his writing that it is possible to rejoice in the midst of suffering.

In the next few posts we’ll talk more about how it is possible to rejoice in the midst of suffering, but first, something unexpected happens to Paul and Silas, and we’ll find out what that is in the next post!

Do you struggle to hear from God’s Spirit? – Acts 16, Part 2

Have you ever wished God could just be like Siri or Google, at your beck and call for answers and guidance whenever you need help? We Christians believe that God is always present with us, and in fact, that the Holy Spirit lives within us. There is plenty of teaching in the Bible that God speaks through his Word, through the Spirit, through nature and many other ways. But as you read that, maybe you’ve wondered why it can feel like God’s communication is so inconsistent. If you’ve thought something like that, you’re not alone.

As we continue following Paul and Silas on their missionary journey in Acts 16, in this post we next read verses 6-10, and what we find is that this section features the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit keeps them from preaching in Asia (verse 6). The Spirit would not allow them to enter Bithynia (verse 7). Paul then has a vision of a man from Macedonia (verse 9), which they conclude is a message from God calling them to preach there. Amazing. In these verses it seems like the Spirit is obviously right there, and we compare that to our lives, and we can feel like the Spirit is distant or confusing or mysterious.

To me the questions are twofold: what should we expect from the Spirit? And what should we expect of ourselves as listeners of the Spirit? What I’m getting at is this: should we expect the Spirit to always speak so clearly to us as he does to Paul? My answer is no, because even in the book of Acts, the Spirit doesn’t guide Paul every single time.

Remember last week and the Jerusalem Council? When faced with a difficult decision, how did they church decide what to do? Did the Spirit speak to them? Let’s scan through that chapter to see how the Spirit was involved. In Acts 15:2, Paul and Barnabas were appointed by the church in Antioch to travel to Jerusalem to deliver their concern. No mention of the Spirit. In verses 6-7, the leaders in Jerusalem met and had much discussion. Still no mention of the Spirit. In Acts 15:19, James says, “It is my judgment.” In Acts 15:22, the council “decided to choose.” In verse 24, the all agreed to choose. Not a single reference to the Spirit in their decision-making process! If all we are ever supposed to do was pray and listen for the guidance of the Spirit, you’d think that would be mentioned so far in Acts 15, right? But the Spirit is not mentioned. Instead, the church leaders use wisdom based on biblical principles to make a decision. Then look at Acts 15:28, for how they describe their decision-making process, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.”

In other words, they give credit to the Spirit for the decision-making process they utilized, but they did not specifically hear the Spirit. Instead they assume that the Spirit was present and at work through the community of believers. Their hearts were attuned to the things of God; they were seeking wisdom and following Biblical principles. It seems to me that since their hearts were right, if these decisions would have been hurtful to the Kingdom, the Spirit would have brought that up to them, since they were all seeking him anyway.

That we understand the apostles as seeking the Spirit’s guidance is key. Clearly in Acts 16:6-10, the Spirit is able and willing to speak and guide through supernatural means, but as we saw in Acts 15, that is not always the case. So when we are making decisions of our own, we need to be people who are attentive to and listening for the Spirit, but we would do well to follow the community-based decision-making process, as long as the community is full of people who have their hearts set on Kingdom ways and are humble and teachable. Back in Acts 16, the Apostles follow the leading of the Spirit, and they continue on their missionary journey.

This is no small journey. Remember they are on foot. They are walking northwest through modern-day Turkey headed toward modern-day Europe. From Syrian Antioch, which was their home church, to get to Macedonia, where the Spirit directed them in the vision, they will have traveled a total of about 800 miles. When they receive the vision from the Lord, they have already traveled about 600 miles.

Remember that Paul and Silas are not alone. Timothy is with them too. And other people join the group as well. Notice the word, “we” in verse 10. This is the first time that the third-person pronoun is used to describe the group of people traveling with Paul. That means the author is including himself, as he was part of the group at this point, possibly joining the group in the city of Troas. We believe that author was Luke, who is referred to as a medical doctor in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

With new direction from the Holy Spirit, read what happens next in verses 11-15. The apostles and their companions travel to the ancient region of Macedonia, which is not the same as the modern nation of Macedonia, and they go to the Roman city of Philippi, whose astounding ruins you can still visit today in Greece.

In verse 13 we read that the apostles go outside the city to find a place of prayer by the river, which is a curious idea, isn’t it? Why would they expect a place of prayer by the river? There was no synagogue in Philippi, so Jews in a city without a synagogue would customarily gather by running water for prayer on the Sabbath. Some scholars believe that the running water would have been used for the ritual cleansing that was a standard element of Jewish worship.

There the apostles start talking with women, as apparently no men were around. To us that is no big deal, as men talk with women all the time. But in that society, this mixed-gender conversation could have been seen as risky and counter-cultural. Men didn’t talk with women, who were considered below men. So it is important for us to see how Paul lives out what he would later teach, that “in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ.” In God’s Kingdom there is total equality.

One woman they meet is Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, which indicates wealth, as purple or maroon dyes were expensive and those color cloths were used by royalty. So Lydia is a businesswoman, and she is also a worshiper of God. Notice verse 14 where we read that God opens her heart and she believes and her whole family is baptized, and she invites the apostles to stay in her home. Amazing! The apostles have followed the leading of the Spirit, and God is at work as another church is being started. Things are going wonderfully in Philippi…but not for long, as we will see in the next post.