Encourage and Strengthen

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ENCOURAGE AND STRENGTHEN

Acts 18:23-28

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

NIV

We are introduced in this passage to the disciple Apollos, a native of Alexandria. One of the truths we observe is that Paul was going from place to place, strengthening all the disciples. Could that not be the call on all of us within the community of faith? We are supposed to build each other up and encourage one another, which, in essence, strengthens us. The best way to do that is with the word of God. We can speak flattering words, tell us how good we are, or how nice we look, or what good things we do in the church, but that is not strengthening, encouraging, or building up. The word of God builds us up, encourages us, and strengthens our character and our relationship with the Lord. That was what Paul was doing, as we also see Apollos, who had been instructed in the way of the Lord, speaking with great fervor and teaching accurately about Jesus. Because he was not aware of the baptism of the Spirit, only of John's baptism, Priscilla and Aquila explained to him the way of God more adequately; in other words, they encouraged, strengthened, and built Apollos up so that he could be more fully engaged in the truth. Because they strengthened Apollos in the ways of God, he became a great help to those who by grace believed. That should be our story. We should be speaking to each other about the word of God so that we strengthen, encourage, and build each other up, so that we can go help others who, by grace, believe. We can say many things from our humanity, our opinions, our thoughts, but it is the word of God that does the work of strengthening, encouraging, and building up. We wonder what the ratio of our words is, between talking about all the things in this world, such as the weather, sports, hobbies, the latest scandal, gossip, or about our aches and pains, and talking about the word of God. Although many subjects in the world can be of interest, only the word of God instructs, encourages, strengthens, and builds us up. Should we not speak more about the truth of Jesus? Should we not encourage each other? 

His Will

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

HIS WILL

Acts 18:18-22

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

NIV

We are at another travel log giving some of the places Paul visited. There is one truth in this narrative that bears our attention. When Paul arrived in Ephesus and went into the synagogue to reason with the Jews, they wanted him to stay longer; however, he declined. What he told them is where we find the story in our lives. He promised them he would come back if it was God's will. Although Paul traveled to many places, we have already seen the Holy Spirit keeping him from going to some cities, then giving him that vision of the man in Macedonia, so he went there. In this narrative, his statement reveals the whole purpose of his life: to follow the Spirit's leading. He did not go where the Spirit stopped him, and he went where the Spirit led him. Is that not the way we are supposed to live as believers? Why do we think we have the right to decide where not to go, and where we should go? Can we make our own decisions about what we are to do or where we are going? That seems counterintuitive to the life of someone who has declared they are following Jesus. That raises another question about Christians in general. When we call ourselves a Christian, what are we saying? Are we declaring that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or are we just saying we are a Christian, meaning we believe in God? However, the point is whether we have decided to follow Jesus? That would mean we have accepted or received the Holy Spirit, implying that we are listening to the Spirit's leading. How, then, can we decide anything if we are relying on doing what is within God's will? Paul promised to return if it was God's will, and should be the key of life for all believers, God's will. Are we living according to our will, or His will? Do we think we live according to His will, but actually live according to ours, or what we think is right? Let us not try to lead by our will, but simply follow according to His will. 

I Am With You

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

I AM WITH YOU

Acts 18:9-17

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."  11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13 "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law — settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." 16 So he had them ejected from the court. 17 Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

NIV

A few things are happening in this portion of scripture, but there is one major truth for us to take to heart. First, we are not surprised that the Jews who rejected the truth about Jesus being the Messiah and all that happened to him are bent on violence against Paul. Why are men constraining themselves to a law that was meant to lead them to Jesus? It isn't much different today when believers constrain themselves to so many rules and regulations, or their traditions, rather than living in the freedom of Christ. However, there are some differences between the law of Moses, a hard-and-fast set of laws established by God, and the rules and regulations that men use today. The rules and traditions of today are fluid, changing as culture evolves, even when believers think they are using scripture to support their rules, regulations, and traditions. As interesting as all this is, the central truth we want to ponder is the vision Paul was given. This is not just for Paul, as God's word transcends time. We can hear God telling us not to be afraid, just keep on speaking, and not to be silent, because He is with us. Just the simple truth that God is with us should give us the confidence to speak up boldly wherever we go. Of course, Paul was called by Jesus to spread the gospel message. But has not God called all of us to be witnesses, to speak out about the kingdom of God? We cannot just go about living our daily lives being like everyone else, and then show up at church once a week for an hour and call ourselves Christians. Being a believer is a lifestyle; our whole being has been changed, and we cannot help but think about Jesus in everything we do, because God is with us. What would our lives look like if God were not with us? We cannot even imagine what would happen to us; it is beyond our imagination what our lives would look like in the absence of God's presence. Let us live with confidence and assurance that God is with us, that He watches over us, and that He directs our path and protects us from any attack of evil. Let us always hear those words: "I am with you."

 

 

The Spirit's Leading

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE SPIRIT'S LEADING  

Acts 18:1-8

18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.   6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.

NIV

We are introduced to Aquila and Priscilla, who moved from Rome to Corinth, where Paul showed up after leaving Athens. Because of their shared trade in tentmaking, a friendship began that would last. However, the story here is that Paul reasoned with the Jews every Sabbath in the synagogue. Still, as we can see, the Jews opposed Paul's message, not only refusing to accept that Jesus was the Messiah, but they also became abusive. Why is it that people cannot have an intelligent conversation, even with opposing views, without becoming abusive, or to rail at, revile as the Greek word is blasfeemeoo, which is where we get blasphemy, to speak against the Spirit. Interestingly, Paul shook out his clothes in protest and told them, "Your blood be on your own heads!" This is where we come into the story. We might try to reason with people, even with members of our own families, but we are not the ones who can convince anyone, as that is the work of the Holy Spirit. It was plain to see that the Jews in Corinth were not open to the work of the Spirit, refusing to hear the truth about Jesus, even as well as Paul was able to reason. We certainly are not a match for Paul's skill at reasoning with others, but we can tell our story of how Jesus changed our lives. Yet, each person must make their choice, and some just do not accept the truth, but make up their own truths and even become somewhat abusive when we present the facts about Jesus. Do we shake our clothes at them and tell them their blood is on their own heads? That is difficult to do when they are either friends or family members. We want them to see Jesus as we do. We want them to be saved and gain eternal life. How difficult it is to think of their reward as anything other than heaven. Yet, all we can do is pray that the Holy Spirit will break through somehow. If they will not listen to reason, then all we can do is pray they will believe somehow, someday. Our ability to reason may not be enough, as Paul's was not in the Corinthian synagogue. But do we really shake off our clothes, or shake the dust off our feet, because we failed at reasoning? Maybe we need to go elsewhere, as Paul did, to find someone who believes, or we could just follow the Spirit's leading. 

God's Offspring

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

GOD'S OFFSPRING

 Acts 17:22-34

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone — an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

NIV

There is the gospel in a nutshell, though there are other truths we should explore as well. First, we should remember that we cannot build any structure sufficient not only to contain God but even to be worthy of God.  In fact, we should not entertain the idea that we can do anything worthy to serve him. Who are we, but mere mortals, the work of His hands, that we should think we can serve Him? Was man created to be the servant of God? Yet, we use that parable about the good and faithful servant as an example that we should be a good and faithful servant. The Greek word translated as servant carries several meanings. First, to willingly give oneself over to another's will. That would imply that we live according to the will of God, not that we are serving him, but serving others. Second, Christ uses us to extend and advance his cause among men. In the sense that we are serving the Lord, but not as a servant would prepare a meal for their master, or wash their master's clothes, but more like we do what he desires for us to do as his disciples, his learners, his listeners. God made us, whereas men may make idols, but man cannot make God, even into what they think he should be. We are the offspring of God, meaning we are his children, and a child does not serve his father; rather, the father provides for his children. When we say, "Our God reigns," we commit ourselves to his leadership and authority in our lives. In that sense, we serve under his direction, but we cannot do anything for God, meet any of his needs, for he is God who meets our needs. What we can do is repent, or change the way we think about our lives, turning from self to Jesus. Then, as Jesus said, we simply need to follow him. Yes, there is being a servant, but that is to each other. We are to serve one another, love one another, and build one another up. That would be serving God's will for our lives. Because we are His offspring, it would be "Like Father, like son", because God is not unknown to us, we know who our Father is. 

A Strange Idea

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

A STRANGE IDEA

Acts 17:16-21

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

NIV

We are now with Paul in the Greek city of Athens, where there were many idols throughout the city. We are familiar with Greek mythology, including gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and Hades. The point is that Paul used that to start talking about Jesus and the resurrection. The group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers disputed what Paul was saying. Interestingly, the Epicureans did not acknowledge any gods, except in name, but they absolutely denied that any gods exercised any government over the world or its inhabitants. Instead, they believe good was defined by the gratification of the appetites of the senses. So they would not believe in any resurrection. As for the Stoics, they did not deny the existence of the gods but believed that all human affairs were governed by fate, so they too would not have believed in a resurrection. Is it any wonder they disputed the idea that Jesus was a god who came to earth, died, was resurrected, and then went back to heaven? They must have thought Paul was out of his mind. However, there is another truth here regarding them taking Paul to the Areopagus so he could speak to them about this strange idea. These were men who sat around all day, spending their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. Here is where we come into this story. Why would we want to sit and listen to all the latest ideas, or ideologies, philosophies, or other human thoughts about life, or listen to ideas about astrology or astrological signs that determine our personality? There has been the New Age movement, using the rainbow, plus all sorts of human ideas that have no meaning of truth about God. Paul was not persuaded by their thinking, but was steadfast in the truth about Jesus. We will get to his great speech before all those men, but for now, we should learn that we know the truth, we listen to the voice of the Spirit within us, rather than to the meaningless ideas of men. We should be careful not to be influenced by men's strange ideas, but rather to be the influencers of men, telling them the strange idea about Jesus.

 

A Noble Character

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

A NOBLE CHARACTER

Acts 17:10-15

10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

NIV

Why are we told that the Bearans were of a more noble character than the Thessalonians? Interestingly, the Greek word translated as "noble" is eugenes. This is the base of our English word for human genes, or our genetic makeup, which could be defined as our character. There is a distinct difference between our personality and our character, in that our personality is what we show others, or who we are when we are with people, but our character is who we are when we are alone. This is who the Bearans were, and their character shone through in their personality and how they received the message with eagerness and examined the scriptures for themselves to verify what Paul said was true. This is a genuine way to know in one's own heart the truth about Jesus and the free gift of God, eternal life. It is good to hear the message, but unless we do our own research, searching the scriptures, we would only have what could be considered as hearsay. Just because someone tells us something, it does not mean it is true. Of course, we would hope that someone called to preach or shepherd God's people would exercise due diligence in the word of God, encouraging and strengthening them in their faith in Jesus. Of course, there are also those silver-tongued purveyors of deception that we need to be careful not to be drawn into their false teaching, much like the Jews who came to Berea, trying to stir up trouble for Paul. They did not have noble character, and it showed in their efforts to agitate others against Paul and his message. When people are like that, agitated, angry, and protest against the truth, that is the time to shake the dust off our feet and leave town, as Paul was sent to the coast, for his own safety from the protestors. However, we should glean the truth about having a noble character and how our inner self, the self who loves the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the real us, should shine through our personality, loving each other. Let us live with that noble character.