Divine Majesty

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

DIVINE MAJESTY 

Acts 19:21-27

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

NIV

With Timothy and Erastus going on to Macedonia, Paul stays in Ephesus, and that is where the trouble over money starts. Interestingly, the silversmith named Demetrius seems to be more concerned about his income from making items related to the goddess Artemis. Of course, we know it is a false god that has no ears to hear, eyes to see, or mouth to speak, but the point is the temple that was built to worship it, which brought in a high income for all the tradesmen in Ephesus. Demetrius was smart about stirring up the others, using both their income and Paul's declaration that man-made gods are no gods at all, and that Artemis will be discredited and robbed of her divine majesty. This type of story has not changed much over the years. There are plenty of man-made gods, or man-made idols, that people worship today. These idols do not have temples, as was the case in Ephesus, but there are other ways to worship idols. We could not name all the idols of this world, but the point is that we believers should not make anything in this world an idol. Although money was at the root of the problem in Ephesus, that may be the root of many problems in our culture as well. Perhaps money has become an idol in our culture, and we wonder if that idol has not crept into the church? Thinking of an idol as some divine majesty goes totally against the one true Divine Majestic God. There is nothing made by the hands of man that could ever have any divinity, although what man makes can be worshipped. This does not mean believers should divest themselves of all their money, for we all require a certain amount to provide for the necessities of this life. Jesus taught about money, and we know that the love of money is the root of all evil, as we know from the letter to Timothy. Let us not get distracted from the faith and look to the ways of the world for our success and supplies. There is nothing more important than to trust our Lord God Almighty for everything in this life and for the life to come. He is the only True Divine Majesty. 

Authority Over Evil

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

AUTHORITY OVER EVIL

Acts 19:13-20

13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15[One day] the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.   20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

NIV

The name of Jesus is powerful in the mouths of those who accept him as their Lord and Savior and are determined to follow him, but these seven sons of Sceva were neither believers in Jesus nor followers of Jesus. Yet they wanted to have the power to drive out demons, trying to use the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches. That proves they did not have a personal relationship with Jesus, but only the Jesus that Paul preached about. What we know in the spirit world, per se, where demons reside, roaming around looking for someone to enter or possess, know exactly who Jesus is. What we call demons are merely the fallen angels that sided with Lucifer, who was cast out of heaven; therefore, they were once in the presence of Jesus. There is power in His name, but that power is reserved for His disciples, or learners, who follow Him and His teachings. There are times when Jesus encountered someone who was possessed, and the spirits knew who he was, but he commanded them to be silent and come out of that person, and they obeyed because Jesus had all the authority over them and still does in our lives today.  This narrative also contains a warning against using the name of Jesus if He is not Lord and Savior over our lives. However, at the same time because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and we have decided to follow him, no turning back, or do we follow at a distance, or semi-follow, that is say we follow him, but live our own lives, following our own path, making our own decisions, or choices, but we continue to attend church, and may even do some deeds within the church. Because of how the spirits treated the seven sons of Sceva, great fear seized many, and the name of Jesus was held in high honor. That is, or should be, our story, holding the name of Jesus in high regard, honoring his name, after all, we call ourselves after his name, Christians, people of Christ. However, when we live in Jesus, and He lives in us, and we are filled with the Spirit, we have the power of His name over the evil in this world. We may not go around looking for evil spirits to cast out in the name of Jesus, but we know that no evil spirit can come against us, giving us a beating, or causing us any harm, because they cannot deal with the name of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit; in fact, they run in the other direction, away from us. It may be true that they might try to create an illusion before us, attempting to lure us into their trap, but they cannot harm us.  We also want the word of the Lord to spread openly in this world, but it first needs to spread openly within our hearts. When we live in Jesus, and He in us, we have authority over evil. 

Persuasively

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

PERSAUSIVELY

Acts 19:8-12

8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

NIV

Two types of people are described for us. First, we have Paul, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who speaks boldly and argues persuasively about the kingdom of God to men who were supposed to be Godly and to believe in God. Second, we have those who became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. Could this be the same in our culture today? We know there are those who are obstinate. We know some publicly malign the Way or Christianity, at least those who live by faith in Jesus Christ. But are we speaking boldly, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God? Have we simply resigned ourselves to supporting a few missionaries, thinking we are, by proxy, speaking boldly about the kingdom of God? How do we know they are speaking boldly and arguing persuasively, or are they just doing some form of ministry that is not in contact with the unbelieving world any more than we are? So then, what are we supposed to do?  We wonder whether there are people within the church who say they believe but are just a bit obstinate, though it is doubtful they would malign faith in Jesus. Perhaps, we should try speaking about the kingdom of God. Not sure if we can speak boldly or persuasively, but maybe we can just talk about the kingdom of God, both in church and to anyone we encounter in our daily lives. If we remain silent, gather only around those who believe in Jesus, and never leave the confines of the church, so to speak, then who are we, and what is our life's purpose? Of course, even Paul, as persuasive as he was, came up against the obstinate, among those within the synagogue, but he did not give up; he went into the public square. Could it be possible that if we had that kind of faith that Paul had and spoke as boldly as he did, God might do extraordinary miracles through us? There have been some who have tried to sell the idea of people giving a financial gift to get a handkerchief or something, but they were, or are, charlatans seeking fame and fortune. What we know is that we have all been called to be witnesses about the kingdom of God, and we should be talking about Jesus to everyone. The key is whether we believe strongly enough to speak persuasively. 

The Evidence

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE EVIDENCE

Acts 19:1-7

19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

NIV

One of the reasons many churches and church people are against speaking in tongues is that it was for then, but not for now. First, we must deal with being baptized in the name of Jesus. We are supposed to repent, as was the message of the baptism of John. People were baptized in water as a baptism of repentance. Interestingly, the Greek word metanoia means to have a change of mind. It is not supposed to mean that we have a compulsion of guilt because of our sin, which some might believe. We simply have a change of mind, as we no longer want to live the way we used to, following our own pleasures, and now we want to live as followers of Jesus. However, Paul's point is that although it is good to change one's mind, we also need to be baptized in the name of Jesus and to receive the Holy Spirit. The new believers in Ephesus had not heard about the Holy Spirit, but we certainly have, as we have all the scriptures available to us, so we can be fully instructed about the Spirit. This is one of the times when believers received the Spirit, resulting in them speaking in tongues and prophesying. Without investigating the Greek, the word prophesying could be misunderstood. What we find is that it could be the idea of foretelling future events, such as a prophet like Isaiah did. However, the other use of this Greek word, profeeteuoo, is to utter forth under a sudden impulse, in lofty discourse or in praise of the divine. This was what happened on the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples were speaking in languages they had not learned, and people heard them praising God. Because the word of God is active, alive, and meant for all people in all times, in every nation, being a transcultural truth, we believe one of the many evidences of being baptized in the Spirit is speaking in an unknown language, or tongues. Of course, there are many other evidences of being filled with the Spirit which could take a book to fully explore; however, the point is that a change should take place within us, first, as we are baptized in water in the name of Jesus, although usually, many baptizers say, in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Second, a change should occur when we are baptized in the Spirit. We should be changed, as we are now being influenced by the Spirit, and there has to be some evidence of that change. The question is, do we see the evidence?

 

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. 

Jealously

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

JEALOUSLY

Acts 17:1-9

17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.   6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

NIV

Jealousy is not acceptable unless it is God's jealousy for his people. What we do not understand is why some Jews would be jealous of Paul and Silas because they were proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ, or the Messiah. Were those jealous Jews ones who thought they had the power in the synagogue? Were they stirred up because Paul and Silas gained favor and their reasoning about Jesus turned Jews to join them, accepting Jesus as the Messiah? The worst of this whole narrative of the actions of the Jews in Thessalonica was that they were giving their allegiance to Caesar, or at least looked as if they were, to gain allies in their argument against Paul and Silas. However, their jealousy also made them liars. If we learn anything from this narrative, we should learn two truths. First, never allow ourselves to be silenced about speaking about Jesus to everyone we meet; in fact, we should be talking about Jesus first in the church, then in the marketplace. What we don't understand is that believers seem to want to talk about everything except Jesus. Secondly, we have no reason to be jealous of others, for we will all receive the same reward: eternal life. However, it is in this material and positional life where jealousy can rear its ugly head. Some have more possessions than others, and some are in a more powerful position, or seem to be, than others. It may appear that some are more liked, or that people form little cliques, which could cause jealousy among those left out. What it all comes down to is that jealousy is self-centeredness, and that causes conflict.  Let us always want to talk about Jesus; after all, we profess that we follow Jesus, rather than false gods. Let us rid ourselves of any or all jealousy, for we are all the same in the eyes of our Lord. 

What Must I Do to be Saved?

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Acts 16:29-40

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God — he and his whole family. 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." 36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace." 37 But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out." 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.   39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.

NIV

Leading up to this, we are told Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in jail, and at midnight they were singing hymns and praising God, and the Lord caused a violent earthquake, and all the doors were thrown open, and their chains fell off, but they stayed there. Now, the jailer was assured he did not need to kill himself, came and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. The best question of all time is asked: "What must I do to be saved?" Of course, it took a mighty act of God to bring the jailer to his knees, seeking how he could be saved. What we should learn from this is that people do not come to repentance on their own, but only when they respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or when they witness an act of God they cannot explain and acknowledge as the mighty hand of God. It might just take an internal earthquake to shake a person up enough to come to Jesus. It might take a mighty movement of the Spirit to loosen the chains that bind them, setting them free, so they can come to Jesus. But we know one thing for sure, God will do what God does best. We can testify, we can tell our story, we can praise Him, we can sing hymns and speak out boldly, but we will not convince anyone; however, when God's hand moves and the Spirit speaks into a person's heart, they have a choice to make. Ask what I must do to be saved, or tell him to leave me alone. We are so glad that we witnessed the mighty hand of God. We have witnessed a miracle that we cannot explain away, and so our only choice was to respond: "What must I do to be saved?" 

The Earthquake

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE EARTHQUAKE

Acts 16:19-28

19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

NIV

Here is where that old truth about the love of money being the root of all evil is demonstrated. These men did not care about the girl, but only that their source of money was gone. Although their testimony about Paul and Silas was a lie, the people of the city, or we could say the people of the world, believed the lies and attacked Paul and Silas, beating them by the magistrate, who then threw them in prison. The world we live in would like nothing better than to imprison those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This would not be a prison like Paul and Silas were in, like the inner cell, with our feet in stocks. However, they are happy to keep us within the prison of our churches; that way, we are kept separate, so we cannot influence their way of life. We know there are believers in other parts of the world who are being beaten, tortured, and even killed to silence their message. That would not work in our county, but there is still this hatred from the progressives, and closed ears and hearts by those who desire to live for their own pleasures. Most are content to keep us silent, but in our church prison, chaining our voices. However, even in the worst of circumstances, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns, and other prisoners were listening. Aren't the people of the world in their own prison of sin? Should they not hear us praying and singing hymns, or at least speaking boldly about Jesus wherever we go? While Paul and Silas were praying and singing, there was suddenly a violent earthquake, and the foundation of the prison was shaken, and all the doors flew open. We wonder in the world heard us praying and singing hymns, or at least speaking boldly about the message of salvation through faith in Jesus, that the Lord would cause a violent metaphorical earthquake in their lives, and the foundation of their prison would be shaken, and the doors of their hearts would be opened. Just a thought. Jesus has freed us from the prison we were in, the cell called death row. Others need to be freed, so let us boldly go forth, praying and singing hymns, so others can hear us, and let God cause the earthquake. 

Distractions

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

DISTRACTIONS

Acts 16:16-18

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

NIV

At first, this slave girl with the spirit by which she predicted the future would be good, although what spirit, other than God, knows the future? However, this spirit was not of God, for it was used to make money for her owners. It could be possible because Satan was once Lucifer and lived within the presence of God Most High, and may have been privy to some of what was to happen on earth. Lucifer would have known Jesus before He came to earth; in fact, he came to tempt him when Jesus was in human form. So then the spirit in the slave girl came from Satan, with some knowledge of things that would happen. Even though, by the spirit, the girl knew Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God and kept shouting those words for days, it became a distraction from Paul's message about salvation through faith in Jesus. We wonder if there are distractions today from the message of salvation through faith in Jesus. There is no doubt that distractions exist in the world; in fact, there is open opposition to faith in Jesus. Do distractions exist within the church? Certainly, there would be no evil spirits bestowing gifts on believers, but could we be distracted by religious or man-made traditions? Paul turned and cast that spirit out of the slave girl in the name of Jesus, and at that very moment, it left her. Trouble for Paul and the others would follow, but the point is that the name of Jesus has power over all spirits of distraction. Evil will always attempt to persuade believers to look to themselves, to their works, or to their traditions instead of the truth that we are saved by grace and grace alone. Evil will always attempt to distract believers with pride in their spiritual greatness. We must be vigilant against those spirits of distraction that could show up attempting to cause discontent, dissension, division, or pridefulness. Sure, we can get involved in many things, even our occupations,  in general life itself, without becoming distracted in spiritual matters. However, when it comes to our spirit, nothing can overshadow having faith in Jesus. We must be willing to cast out anything that distracts from faith in Jesus alone. 

He Opens Hearts

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

HE OPENS HEARTS

Acts 16:11-15

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

NIV

We have a short travel log that takes them to Phillipi, a Roman colony, meaning it was under Roman control. From what we know, it had a significant Greek population and Jewish residents. We are not told that Paul and Silas went to any synagogue; instead, they went outside the city gates, near a river, to pray. This could be our first clue about prayer. It is good to find a place to pray, to get alone. Although there were two, they would still have wanted a quiet, still, solitary place to pray. How can we pray if we are getting distracted by all the things around us? However, it appears they did not find that solitary place, but instead found women who had gathered there. We are now introduced to Lydia, who was a worshipper of God. What we know from the text is that although she worshipped God, she had no knowledge about Jesus, and the free gift of salvation through him. The key to her accepting Paul's message about Jesus was that the Lord opened her heart to respond.  This key is everything, as a person with a closed heart will not listen or hear the truth about Jesus, and they will not willingly open their own unbelieving hearts. This is the work of the Lord, as he can open a person's heart. Indeed, the Lord will not force himself on people, but he can open their hearts, soften their hard hearts, so they might respond to the truth about Jesus, the free gift of God. This may be one of those things that is impossible with men, to open their own hearts, but all things are possible with God. The question is whether we can pray for God to open someone's heart. However, that is not what Paul did; he merely told the women about the message concerning Jesus, and God did the rest regarding Lydia's heart. There is another truth that applies to us: as soon as she believed, she wanted to be baptized. In Essence, that is part of following Jesus. Lydia opened her home to Paul and Silas, which we think meant she wanted to hear more about Jesus. Let us learn these lessons and make sure we find a solitary place for prayer, just tell the message, and let God open hearts. 

The Spirit Leads We Follow

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE SPIRIT LEADS WE FOLLOW

Acts 16:6-10

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

NIV

This is what it means to be led by the Spirit. No, do not go there, stop, not there either, but I will show you where to go. That is this narrative in a nutshell. Being led by the Spirit is the way of life for any believer, yet we wonder how much we listen and follow His leading. We know His leading is important in spiritual matters, as to where we are supposed to be preaching the gospel message, or at least where we are supposed to gather together with other believers. What church should we be in? What should we be doing to serve the Lord? But that also means where we should not be, or what we should not be doing in an area of service. Paul was restricted from going into the province of Asia. We are not told whether he asked the Spirit why, but we know he was obedient and did not enter either Asia or Bithynia, yet the Spirit gave him a clear sign that he was supposed to go to Macedonia. Could we also know just where we are supposed to be, as to what city we should live in, or where is the home the Spirit directed us to? If we are being led by the Spirit, then every aspect of our lives should come under obedience to Him. How can we decide where to go and what to do? If we were making our own decisions, we would be operating in the flesh, which is both weak and corruptible, so we would make mistakes in our choices. That is not to say we cannot choose the clothes we wear, or what food to buy, or what color to paint, or any of those small things in life we may need. But it is our lives themselves that must come under the leadership of the Spirit. Where doesn't He want us to be, what doesn't He want us to do? Where does He want us? What does He want us to do? This is all about following where the Spirit leads. 

Strengthened Faith

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

STRENGTHENED FAITH

Acts 16:1-5

16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

NIV

We are now introduced to Timothy, who was a disciple before Paul met him. However, because he was not fully Jewish, having a Greek father, he would not have been circumcised as an 8-day-old infant. However, there was a connection between Paul and Timothy, as we are told that Paul wanted to take him along on the journey. But the question is, why did Timothy need to be circumcised? This was not to mean that he would need to follow the ritual Jewish laws, or come under the law of Moses. Because Timothy would be accompanying Paul, and it was usually that Paul first went into the synagogue when coming into a city, wanting to bring the gospel message to the Jews, if his companion was uncircumcised, the Jews would not listen, as Timothy would be unclean. Because Paul associated with him, he would be considered unclean. Timothy's circumcision was rendered necessary by the circumstances in which they would be placed. We know that sometime later, Paul entrusted the affairs of the church at Ephesus to Timothy's leadership. The point of this narrative is not the act of circumcision, but that Paul continued to preach the good news and inform the Gentile believers of the decision of the apostles and elders reached regarding their responsibilities as believers. As we have considered before, most of those do nots are not meaningful in our culture, except for sexual immorality. Nevertheless, it reveals that believers should live differently from unbelievers. There are some things we are not supposed to do or have certain attitudes about. We are to rid ourselves of pride, jealousy, envy, gossip, anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness, just to name a few. However, the list of what we are to do does not get as much attention as it should, such as encouraging one another, speaking to each other in Hymns, Psalms, and making music in our hearts to God. We are also supposed to build each other up. We see Paul does all this in his relationship with Timothy, encouraging him, building him up, and speaking the good things of God with him. Their focus was on Jesus, spreading the good news to both Jews and Gentiles, so that the believers were strengthened in the faith and grew in numbers daily. Was the increase in numbers all due to Paul and Timothy, or was it more about the believers in the church sharing their faith with others, because they had been strengthened in their faith? 

Strengthening

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

STRENGTHENING

Acts 15:36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

NIV

What do we say about this sharp disagreement? Can we observe a difference of opinions without thinking there was sin within either of their hearts? Both Paul and Barnabas were devoted men of God, but how do we justify Paul's not wanting to trust John Mark because he had deserted them? Was there anger in the sharp disagreement between them? Did Paul harbor ill feelings about John Mark, or unforgiveness because of his deserting them, and not continuing with the work of the ministry? We might try to answer these questions based on our own thoughts about relationships within the community of faith. Can we have a sharp disagreement over a church issue and not get upset, angry, or have hurt feelings, even to the point of either leaving or splitting the church? Are we judging Paul and Barnabas based on our sense of right and wrong? In the Greek text, there is only one word that means excitement in a positive sense, but is used in a negative sense as irritation. Either way it is used in this text, it does not imply a sinful argument that leads to a permanent, never-speak-to-each-other-again anger. Nevertheless, the lesson we can learn is that we can have different thoughts about the ministry of the church without getting all bent out of shape. Paul and Barnabas both concluded it would be best to split up, each with their companion. This could also have been possible; the lord's hand was in this, as there was one team, now there were two teams, which were able to cover more churches in a shorter amount of time. However, is it right to think the Lord would agree with any contention or disagreement that leads to splitting up? Is it right to think that Paul never forgave John Mark, or that he just was not able to trust him again? In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he mentions John Mark, Barnabas's cousin, in a positive light. This also sheds light on why Barnabas chose John Mark to travel with him. From that letter, we also see that Paul asks the  Colossian church to welcome John Mark, as they had received instructions about him. Therefore, we know disagreements are not meant to lead to unforgiveness, with hard feelings, or permanent separation. The basic underlying truth is that the churches were strengthened. That is the key to what should motivate our intentions concerning the church: to strengthen it, build it up, and encourage one another. 

Encourage and Strengthen

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ENCOURAGE AND STRENGTHEN

Acts 15:30-35

30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.   35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

NIV

We are dealing with a message contained in this letter, sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, as well as the personal messages of Silas and Judas, called Barsabas. What we need to focus on is, first, the response to the message, and second, the work of Silas and Barsabas. Of course, the written letter was encouraging in the sense that these new Gentile believers did not have to undergo the painful experience of circumcision. It is one thing, according to Jewish law, to circumcise an eight-day-old boy, but for an adult male, it is a very painful thing that debilitates a man for several days. So, not having to experience that would be very encouraging. However, we also note that Silas and Judas were prophets and said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. Encouraging and strengthening others should be one of the main traits of all believers. We are told many times in various Epistles to encourage and build one another up. Judas and Silas were encouragers, seeking to build up those brothers according to their needs. Those times were different from what we have available to us now. These brothers in Antioch did not have all four gospels, nor any of the epistles of Paul, Peter, or John. Most likely, they did not even have copies of the torah, or any of the Psalms, and the words of the prophets. All they had were messages from men who came to Antioch, some with words that would burden the new believers; but when the apostles and elders sent this letter and Silas and Judas, they brought words of truth that encouraged and strengthened the new believers. That is the kind of words that should come out of our mouths, even if other believers have the whole Bible available to them, and should be encouraged and strengthened by reading and exploring the truths within it. Although we have the fullness of the scriptures, it seems we can still go through times when our hearts are heavy, because we are going through some difficult experience. We might even become a bit discouraged or disappointed because it seems our prayers are not being answered, or we are not seeing an improvement in our situation. That is why we all should be ready, willing, and able to encourage and strengthen each other. 

Seems Good to Him

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SEEMS GOOD TO HIM

Acts 15:22-29

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

NIV

It is good to maintain the format of this letter as it is in the scriptures, and some truths certainly apply for that period of time, which we may not need to apply, except for sexual immorality. However, we want to focus on one statement in this letter. The authors of this letter made it known that it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to them not to burden the believers there with the law of Moses and the oral traditions of Judaism, mainly, circumcision. We could also note that some disturbed the new believers' minds with false teaching. That has not changed over time, because there are still false teachers among us today, not troubling but deceiving people's minds. But it is this truth about what seemed right with the Holy Spirit that bears truth into our lives. There was discussion among the apostles and elders regarding this situation and how to resolve it, but it was the leading of the Spirit that brought about the agreement with all the brothers. We would do well to do what seems right with the Holy Spirit, so that whatever we do is in the will of the Father. The Spirit does lead us into all truth; however, we have to be listening to be led. It can be easy to do so many things in our own desire to be religious, or do what we think are good works, or good works we think are right to do. But what seems right to the Holy Spirit would be the best thing for us to do. He has given us many gifts throughout the scriptures, and the Spirit also leads us in the direction of our lives, in our decisions, plans, and all our life choices. Before we do anything, especially concerning the church, but also our personal lives, we should consult with the Holy Spirit, so we know what seems good to Him. 

Abstaining and Doing

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ABSTAINING AND DOING

Acts 15:12-21

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things'  18 that have been known for ages.  

19 "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

NIV

The first thing we need to focus on is that God is always the one who performs the miraculous signs and wonders, though he usually does so through one of his faithful followers. That does not mean that working through someone is always the case, as God can simply perform any miracle at any time, in any way he chooses. Yet the story is again about the Gentiles receiving and accepting the word of God as well as being filled with the Holy Spirit. The apostles, the spiritual leaders of this new church, based on salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, needed to come to an agreement regarding whether the Gentiles needed to be concerned about the law of Moses and all the oral traditions of Judaism, or should they be instructed as to living a life that would please the Lord. It is clear that James made the right judgment, and they decided that three basic life changes should occur among the Gentile believers. Because we are Gentiles, although we have far more instructions, we know that we would never have anything to do with sacrificing food to idols; we get ours at the store, and the blood has already been drained. We certainly   do not know about any of our meat ever coming from strangled animals, but we cannot imagine any processing plants or slaughterhouses doing that. We would also think most believers are not involved in sexual immorality, although we can never be certain that is an absolute overall truth. Nevertheless, we still have other areas we need to address through prayer and obedience, which should lead us to abstain from jealousy, envy, pride, anger, self-centeredness, gossip, and unforgiveness. Instead, we should be building each other up, encouraging one another, and loving one another. Let us remember that God has chosen to reveal Himself to all people. We have accepted his truth and should try to live lives that please him, allowing the Spirit to lead and empower us to follow Jesus. They wrote a letter to the Gentiles with instructions, and we have many letters now, with many instructions we should follow. Because we cannot be as perfect as we should be, we need to rely on the Spirit to do the work within us, just as we rely on Jesus for our salvation. Yes, there are areas in our lives we need to abstain from, but there are areas we just need to be doing. 

The Law or Grace

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE LAW OR GRACE

Acts 15:5-11

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

NIV

We find it interesting that there were believers who still ascribed to the Pharisees' party. Without going into extreme depth of all their religious beliefs, the Pharisees adhered to the Torah as well as oral traditions. They did believe in the resurrection and an afterlife, and they practiced ritual purity and dietary laws. It is difficult to see how someone who became a follower of Jesus, a believer, could still ascribe to the Pharisaical ideas of Jewish life. Yet, they were the ones who insisted the Gentiles should be circumcised and obey the law of Moses, in essence, become a Jew. How can a believer feel that others should follow the law when they cannot follow it perfectly? Peter, one who is filled with the Spirit, made it clear that God does not show favoritism and considers all men, Jews and Gentiles, equal. God makes no distinction between all his creation, as he pours out his Spirit on all people. Of course, the Gentiles chose to accept the word of God, turn from their idols to the One True God, accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is by grace and grace alone that they were saved, and that applies to our lives as well. Once we have been freed from the yoke of bondage, we should not put another yoke or burden of slavery on ourselves by trying to live under some kind of law, rules, or regulations we think make us holy or righteous. We should take upon the yoke of Jesus and learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart. Let us live within the grace of God, loving and learning from Jesus. There is nothing that we can do that would make us more holy or more righteous than the grace of God has already done. Because by faith we are saved and not by work lest any of us can boast. Why do some still want the works to define their lives? Why do some want to boast about how holy or righteous they are? Are we not all sinners who are saved by grace? Sure, we want to live to please the Lord. Sure, we want to do the right things and abstain from evil. But some have almost gone the way of the Pharisees, believing in a set of laws we must abide by to be a "Good Christian." Let us not burden ourselves with the yoke of the law, but let us live as followers of Jesus. It is either the law or grace, not both. 

The Circumcised Heart

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE CIRCUMCISED HEART

Acts 15:1-4

15:1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

NIV

There is going to be much discussion among the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this matter of Gentiles needing to be circumcised, that is, to become a Jew to be saved. We know the outcome of that debate, with Peter making the strongest case that the Gentiles need not be burdened with circumcision, since the Holy Spirit was poured out on them just as on the believers in Jerusalem. We do not have any restrictions or requirements for becoming a follower of Jesus, or, as some say, being saved. But then we start making up rules on how we think believers should live, with restrictions on certain things. One of the main objections among many believers is smoking and drinking wine or other adult beverages. However, the word tells us not to be drunk on wine, but to be filled with the Spirit. So then we should see the evidence of those who abstain from wine, that they are full of the Spirit. However, the main discussion is about the circumcision of the heart, rather than any outward sign needed to become a believer. We will see that the only admonishment was not to eat food that was sacrificed to idols, or strangled meat, or meat with the blood, or sexual immorality. Circumcision was taken off the table, not to burden believers with that act of the flesh. We would be good to take this truth to heart. It is not so much about what we should not eat or drink, but whether we have allowed the Lord to circumcise our hearts. Of course, we are supposed to rid ourselves of certain things, but they are all heart issues, like pride, envy, jealousy,  slander, which means gossip, bitterness, anger, deceit, and hypocrisy. It would be better for us to consider the condition of our hearts than what we should not eat or drink. If we are filled with the Spirit, he will lead us into all truth. Let us not worry about the restrictions, but let us open our hearts, having them filled with the Spirit, then we will live with circumcised hearts. 

Set Apart

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

SET APART

Acts 14:21-28

21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

NIV

This is almost like a travel log or the travel agenda of Paul and Barnabas, but there is some truth we need to ponder. First, they strengthened the believers and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. We might see Paul and Barnabas as doing the work of missionaries and so think that, as long as we support some of our modern-day missionaries, we have fulfilled our responsibility to strengthen and encourage some believers in a far-off land. Although Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit, and men prayed and laid hands on the two of them before sending them on their way, there was no set of rules or denominational requirements they needed to meet to be the men of God they were, and do the work of the Lord among the people. They were set apart and filled, and led by the Holy Spirit, so they could boldly speak of the good news about the kingdom of God, with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Because we are all told to build each other up, to speak words that build others up according to their needs, so that it might benefit them. We are also told to spur one another to love and good deeds. This is not just the work of missionaries but of all believers. Sure, Paul and Barbabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit, but has not the Spirit set all of us apart from the ways of the world? The Holy Spirit will lead us if we listen to his still, small voice within. Secondly, God opened doors for them, even though they experienced opposition, even stoning, and they told believers in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch that they must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. This could refer to the fact that the Spirit of this world is opposed to the Spirit of Christ; therefore, it is possible that believers will experience the same kind of opposition, to the point of persecution or ridicule. However, that would mean we live openly as believers, boldly expressing our faith, even in the face of ridicule. We know the Spirit will open doors for us, so we are where we need to be, and voice our faith in Jesus Christ so others might turn from their wicked ways and turn to Jesus. Let us recognize our being set apart to do the work of the Lord. [i]

 

 

 

---

[i] 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Ephesians 4:29

Hebrews 10:24-25

Romans 14:19 

The Mythical and the Truth

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE MYTHICAL AND THE TRUTH

Acts 14:11-20

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

NIV

Why would men want to believe in that which is not true, rather than consider the truth of God? Because Paul and Barnabas were filled with the Spirit and empowered to perform miraculous signs and wonders, the townspeople thought they were two of the mythical Greek gods. Because Zeus and Hermes have never been seen by anyone, as they are mythical, not real, people believed that when they saw what Paul and Barnabas did, it was an easy leap to believe their gods were real. Paul and Barnabas would have nothing to do with them, believing them to be gods, so they tore their garments in an effort to prove they were just men, like everyone else. Here is the central truth of this narrative in Lystra. The good news is meant to turn people from worthless things to the living God. How can people deny that the rain comes from the Living God? How can people deny that all the food we have to eat comes from the hand of God, for he spoke all plants into existence and all the livestock. Yet they would rather believe in false gods that have no ears to hear, eyes to see, or a mouth to speak. But now the people of Lystra believed they had two of them when they saw the crippled man walk. We wonder if even believers can be deceived by falsehoods. Yet that is the case when so many listen to those silver-tongued purveyors of deception who tickle the ears and hearts with falsehoods, that God wants them to be wealthy, and to live in material abundance. Not that he wants us to be poor and live without any material things. But life should not be about satisfying ourselves or living a self-oriented life. Life is about loving the Lord with our whole self, our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We should be living a God-centered life because we see the evidence of his majestic power and authority all around us. The whole earth and all that is in it testify to God being the creator and the giver of life. We can see that others who came to Lystra, Jews who were completely opposed to the truth of God, were stuck in their own form of religion, which came to turn the people who first wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas, now wanted to stone them.  Why would men rather believe in men than God? If we are honest with ourselves, we understand that all people can lie, but God never lies; he tells only the truth, for he is the truth. There is the mythical, then there is truth. 

Evidence of Faith

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

EVIDENCE OF FAITH

Acts 14:8-10

8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

NIV

This is going to turn ugly after what happened regarding the man who was crippled in his feet from birth. However, before the results of this healing, we want to focus on that for a moment. We notice this lame man was listening to Paul as he spoke about the good news of Jesus Christ. That good news must have included the fact that Jesus was the Son of God who came to earth in human form, went to the cross for the forgiveness of sins, was resurrected, and, after his ascension, sent the Holy Spirit to empower believers. We don't know everything Paul said, but it had to include all that and more. The point that this lame man listened and believed so much that he felt he could be healed. His faith was evident to Paul. What was the evidence of this man's faith that he could be healed? Was it a look in his eyes? Was there a glow on his face? Did he appear enlightened, light up, filled with excitement of standing up and walking for the first time in his life? Whatever it was in this crippled man's appearance, Paul saw it and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. He didn't just stand up, he jumped up. The Greek word here carries that meaning of jumping, leaping, springing up. We wonder why we do not see that kind of healing in many of the churches today. Maybe we just do not have that kind of faith to be healed. Could one person have enough faith for someone else to be healed? This narrative tells us that the man's faith caused his healing. It was the same with the woman who knew that if she could just touch the hem of his garment, she would be healed. One by one, we could go through all the healings in scripture, and most of them result from the faith of the one being healed. Some, such as the lame man that Peter and John saw on their way to the temple, it was Peter's faith that led him to tell the man to stand up and walk in the name of Jesus. Still, all healings are for the expressed reason to bring glory to God in the highest. It is good to experience a healing in the name of Jesus. A healing can give relief from some sickness, pain, or infirmity. However, is it possible that we have become comfortable in some sense, being a crippled Christian? Is it possible that we have put too much faith in man's medical profession than in Jesus? We wonder why they call it "practicing medicine." When Jesus never needed to practice healing, he just did. Paul didn't need to practice either; he simply saw the evidence of this crippled man's faith and told him to stand up. Is our faith evident?