Category: Acts (Page 3 of 6)

You didn’t close your bait box.  Dozens of worms are escaping (except for the hook-impaled one).  Now you have to waste time rounding up those slimy, scattering critters.  Hence, metaphorically “to open a can of worms” has come to mean “to deal with a simple matter only to complicate it or create unexpected trouble” (http://mentalfloss.com).

Like examining a 3-word phrase Paul uses in today’s text . . .

After this, Paul stayed many days longer (in Corinth) and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.  And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.  But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.  When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.  After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples (Acts 18:18-23, ESV).

Paul tells the Ephesians, “I will return to you if God wills.”  What God wanted would determine if Paul came back to Ephesus or not.

That might sound as loony as the old Blues Brothers line, “We’re on a mission from God.”

But author Luke implies such God-directing moments were typical . . .

“They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them . . . ” (Acts 16:6,7, NRS).

However, “ . . . if God wills” opens a can of worms:  the magnitude of the topic, tough questions, “rabbit trails” of complex subjects.  We’ll try to limit the can of worms to only questions that will help us understand the significance of Paul’s words.

How inclusive is God’s will?

If it only applies to Paul and maybe other Christian preachers spreading the gospel, then it doesn’t mean much to us.  But one  of Paul’s profound statements shows how inclusive God’s will is . . .

“In [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will . . . ” (Ephesians 1:11, ESV). 

Identifying our inheritance as one of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, Paul refers to God “who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”  “Counsel” translates the Greek boulayn—“resolve, purpose, plan, decision”.  And “will” translates the Greek thelaymatos—“design, purpose, will” (as the result of what one has decided or purposed).  “Works” translates the Greek energountos, a present active participle implying continual, ongoing activity.  It might be accurately translated “who continually brings about all things according to the purpose of his will.” 

How inclusive is God’s will?  Not just an apostle’s destination, but all things.  Including the riches of our inheritance in Christ and the flight plan of a butterfly and the crazed scattering of our escaping bait.  And everything in our lives.  Continually.

Doesn’t God’s will limit us?

Yes.  It limited Paul.  The Holy Spirit barred him from Bithynia.  So God’s will  limits us regarding what we worship and how, how we use God’s name, what we do on the Sabbath, and how we treat our parents.  God’s will also limits us regarding violence and sex and other people’s property and accusations we might make against someone, even our desires (Exodus 20:1-17).

This aspect of God’s will we might call directive.  God directs us to live our lives within the limited moral parameters of his will.  (“Be sure to close your bait box securely!”)  A second aspect of God’s will we might call decreed.  This refers to God’s sovereign will.  He will do what he wants independent of what we want.  God wanted his Son to be crucified.  Though he used men’s evil choices, Jesus’ death didn’t depend on them.  No matter what Jews and Romans and disciples willed, Jesus was going to die.  If God wants our earthworms to escape and scatter, they will even if we sit on the bait box!  If God wants Paul back in Ephesus, the entire Roman army can’t block his way.

Doesn’t the limiting nature of God’s will humble us?

It should.  It reminds us—uncomfortably—(despite Winston Churchill’s famous speech to the contrary) we are not masters of our fate and captains of our soul.

We don’t like that.  We dig in our heels against a will that rules ours.  Instead, we should bow.  Essentially this is what James admonished the proud . . .

Live in an idolatrous culture?  Depends on how we define idolatrous.  (See https://theoldpreacher.com/idol-city/.)

If the potential “idol” is necessary for our happiness, something we so desperately need we can’t imagine a fulfilled life without it (as J. D. Greear writes—see link above), then we’re hard-pressed to answer no.

First-century Athens had 30,000 idols (one per deity) though a highly-civilized Greek city of 10,000 people.  Additionally they had at least one “to an unknown god”.  (To be sure they offended none?)

Athens wasn’t on Paul’s “Must Preach At Cities” list.  He was there waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him from Berea.  Touring the famed city, “his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16).  So he “reasoned in the synagogue and in the marketplace with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17:17).  According to Acts 17:18 he reasoned about “Jesus and the resurrection”—the living God as opposed to lifeless idols.

Among the “happened to be there” in the marketplace were Epicurean (pleasure the chief end of life, especially peace) and Stoic philosophers (man’s rationality and individual self-sufficiency primary).  To both Paul was a “babbler” (Greek word used of scavenger birds, therefore came to be used of worthless loafers who picked up scraps of learning.)  Others concluded he spoke of foreign gods (because he talked about Jesus and the resurrection).

“And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus . . . ” (Acts 17:19). 

The Areopagus, or “Hill of Ares”, was the site of a council that served as an important legal institution under the Athenian democracy.  This Council changed many times over the centuries.  Originally, it was Athens’ central governing body; but under democracy it was primarily a court for serious crimes.  Since Paul wasn’t charged with a crime, apparently on this occasion it met to formally consider Paul’s “philosophy.”

Very Religious (17:22,23, TEV)

Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious.  For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which it is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’  That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you.”

A brilliant opening!  (The Holy Spirit is known for his omniscience.)  Paul had their attention.

With all our secularization talk, the U.S. remains a religious country.  The Hartford Institute estimates (no official list exists) there are almost 315,000 “Christian” churches plus 12,000 non-Christian.  Gallup reports 40% of the population claim to attend (most certainly an inflated figure).  Nevertheless, even with our growing number of “nones”, we’re a religious people.  We just have different idols.

Unknown God Known (17:24-28, TEV)

“God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.  Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone.  From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live.  He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us; as someone has said, “‘In him we live and move and exist.’  It is as some of your poets have said, “‘We too are his children.'”

“Let me tell you about that ‘unknown God'”, Paul proclaims.  “He’s Creator of everything.  Lord of heaven and earth.  Doesn’t live in temples.  Self-sufficient, needs nothing from us.  Life-giver, we needing everything from him.  Source of all races, setting times and places for all to live.  Has a purpose:  that we would seek him and perhaps find him, because he’s not far off.  ‘In him we live and move and exist.’  Even your poet says, ‘We too are his children.'”

This brief, majestic description infinitely exalts the “unknown God”.  He is  high above every idol the Athenians or we might have.  Every comparison between God and the greatest idol inevitably crumbles.

Call to Repentance (17:29-31, TEV)

Mixed Response (17:3-34, TEV)

Our Response.

A fine line between being an idolater and just wanting something good!  For example, is a healthy body rid of primary lateral sclerosis an idol?  When our three children were young and under our roof, I “loved them to death” as we say.  (I still love them deeply, but differently as adults.)  Were they idols to me?  Money has never held great importance to me.  But now that Lois and I are retired with limited funds, it concerns me more.  Does that make it an idol?

No simple formula.  Especially since idolatry is a heart-matter demanding ongoing vigilance.  That’s why I think the apostle John’s words are the wisest we can end with living in an idolatrous culture of all kinds of unknown gods . . .

Dear children,
keep away from anything
that might take God’s place in your hearts.
(1 John 5:21, NLT)

‘We must all experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).  How do we react to that warning?  Typically, I believe it, but push it to my brain’s back burner.  Or, how about this:  “This Jesus . . . is the Messiah” (Acts 17:3)?  Do we dig into the meaning of “Messiah” and why Paul said “This Jesus”, or do we assent superficially to this teaching?

In today’s text we find starkly contrasting reactions to Paul’s preaching.  The first sets out an example we should shun, the second one we should seek

Having left Philipi (https://theoldpreacher.com/jail-quake/)  Paul, Silas and Timothy (Luke is out of the picture until 20:6) travel  southwest (by horse or foot)  on the Via Egnatia, the great Roman highway.  Thirty-three miles to Amphipolis, 27 to Apollonia, 35 to Thessalonica.

Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue.  According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death. “This Jesus whom I announce to you,” Paul said, “is the Messiah” (Acts 17:1-3, TEV).

Thessalonica.

Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province Macedonia with a population of 100,000.  The city was a center for both trade and philosophy.  Greek, Roman, Egyptian and imperial cults marked its religious life.  The city had a Jewish population sufficient to support a synagogue.   As was his habit, Paul visited to preach the Gospel “to the Jew first.”

Unlike Philippi, author Luke offers no personal conversion accounts.  Instead, he summarizes Paul’s message from the Jewish Scriptures:  “the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death” and “This Jesus . . . is the Messiah.” 

Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshiped God. But some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people (Acts 17:4,5, TEV).

Jewish men, upper-class Jewish women and Gentile Greeks who adhered to Jewish Law but remained uncircumcised “were convinced.”  All these “joined Paul and Silas” forming a new church in the city.

On the other hand “some Jews were jealous.”  Suspicious of Paul.  Envious of his success.  Protective of their synagogue.  So they rounded up “worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob.”  Rushing the house of Jason (who lodged the visiting missionaries), they searched for Paul and Silas.

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities and shouted, “These men have caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city,  and Jason has kept them in his house. They are all breaking the laws of the Emperor, saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus.” With these words they threw the crowd and the city authorities in an uproar.  The authorities made Jason and the others pay the required amount of money to be released, and then let them go (Acts 17:6-9, TEV).

Jason and other believers bore the brunt of the mob’s anger.  Like Philippi, Thessalonica was self-governed by Greeks, albeit under Roman rule.  These magistrates don’t appear terribly troubled when they hear Paul and Silas had identified  “another king” other than Caesar.  Their sentence was basically bail, to be lost if Paul and Silas  returned.

Results of Paul’s preaching in Thessalonica, then, were mixed.  A church was planted of those who were convinced that Jesus is Messiah.  But other Jews reacted with hostility, and not (apparently) over truth.  They were jealous.  It seems, therefore, they gave little consideration to the substance of Paul’s message.  They heard, “The Messiah had to suffer and rise from death.  This Jesus whom I announce to you is the Messiah.”  But what spurred reaction was the numbers convinced who left to join Paul and Silas.  Like the seed scattered on rocky soil in Jesus’ parable, Satan stole away the word from these jealous Jews who never thought deeply about this Jesus (Matthew 13:4).

As soon as night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue.  The people there were more open-minded than the people in Thessalonica. They listened to the message with great eagerness, and every day they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.Many of them believed; and many Greek women of high social standing and many Greek men also believed (Acts 17:10-12, TEV).

Berea.

Berea lay 60 miles from Thessalonica.  Paul’s tactic was the same:  visit the synagogue and preach from the Jewish Scriptures that Messiah had to die and rise.  And this Messiah is Jesus.  Luke observes that the Bereans were more eugenays than the Thessalonia.  The word can be translated “noble” (ESV), but TEV is probably more accurate to translate “open-minded.”  Unlike the reactionary Thessalonians, “They listened with great eagerness . . . and every day . . . studied the Scriptures” with the result that “many of them believed.” Maybe the Thessalonians who believed responded similarly.  Maybe only some Thessalonians reacted with hostility.  But Luke’s intentional description of the Berean response commends them.

But when the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul had preached the word of God in Berea also, they came there and started exciting and stirring up the mobs.  At once the believers sent Paul away to the coast; but both Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.  The men who were taking Paul went with him as far as Athens and then returned to Berea with instructions from Paul that Silas and Timothy should join him as soon as possible. (Acts 17:13-15, TEV).

The Berean visit ended abruptly.  The trouble-making Thessalonian Jews showed up in Berea.  Paul probably didn’t want to leave so soon, but “the believers sent Paul away to the coast” with Silas and Timothy to meet him in Athens once they were sure the new Berean believers were ready to go it alone.

The people of Berea responded wisely, commendably.  Eugenays means they were objective and receptive, but also that they held high moral principles and ideals (“noble”).  These qualities drove them everyday to  “[study] the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.”

* * * * *

Here, then, are two examples of sermon-listening and Bible-reading.  First, some of the Thessalonians.  Now we’re not apt to sue our pastor if he preaches something we don’t like.  But we are apt to listen enough only to presume we’ve heard it all before.  Or to tune him out not wanting to hear any disagreeable lesson.  Or to half-listen while letting our minds wander to something more pressing or exciting.  (A real problem, since even good listeners retain only about 10% of what they hear!)  All this is reactionary listening, like the hostile Thessalonian Jews.

The better example is the Bereans.  They listened with “eagerness.”  They wanted to learn something new.  They rejected the I-heard-it-all-before attitude.  But they weren’t so open-minded that their brains fell out.  Everyday they studied the Scriptures to see if Paul’s message matched up.  They wouldn’t react against the humiliating doctrine that their Messiah had to die.  Their Scripture-study-response became the Holy Spirit’s fuel to ground them in the Gospel.

I know time is a problem.  If we go to Sunday Worship, who has time to study the sermon-Scripture later?  If we read the Bible on our own, how can we grab more than a few minutes.  Besides, a little Scripture, even if not interpreted correctly, is better than none!

But superficial Scripture knowledge as culture attacks our faith increasingly, may not be enough.  Times call for disciples learning to know and live God’s word.

Let’s not be like some of those Thessalonians!  Don’t buy what the preacher says just because he says it.  Or whatever might “stick” from a cursory reading.  Let’s be like the Bereans—listen eagerly, but then study the Scriptures.  Because men’s words can’t save—only God’s.  And even God’s must be understood correctly.

In the 1979 movie, “Escape from Alcatraz”, Clint Eastwood  and his prison  pals painstakingly dug their way of the island prison with spoons.  
Paul and SIlas walked out of a Philippi prison after singing worship songs interrupted by a precisely timed and placed earthquake.

They had been on their way to the Jewish prayer-place.  A slave girl and her owners started following.  Her evil-spirit-induced cries irritated Paul.  Unable to endure any more, he turned and demanded the demon out.  Good for the girl, not so much for her owners.  With their income-source gone, they (taking a page from Americans), dragged Paul and Silas to court.  The Roman magistrates found the Jewish wanderers guilty of teaching anti-Roman customs and ordered them beaten with rods and locked up in prison.

Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other
prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:24,25, TEV).

The retired-soldier-jailer didn’t know it, but his life would change forever that night.   It started with midnight hymn-singing.  The other prisoners listened; the jailer fell asleep.

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations.  At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the  prisoners.   The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped; so he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself,

But Paul shouted at the top of his      
voice, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”  The jailer called
for a light, rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and
Silas (Acts 16:26-29, TEV).

Curious the way the Lord works miracles.  He could have silently opened the cell;  Paul and Silas could have tiptoed past the sleeping jailer  (see Peter’s “jail break” in Acts 12).  But he chose to save the old sleeping soldier.  So he orchestrated a “jail quake”.

Now comes the most significant part of this event . . .

Then he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your family.”  Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in the house.  At that very hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; and he and all his family were baptized at once.  Then he took Paul and Silas up into his house and gave them some food to eat. He and his family were filled with joy, because they now believed in God (Acts 16: 30-34), TEV).

Had the jailer heard the slave girl’s cries (“These men are servants of the Most High God! They announce to you how you can be saved!” —Acts 16:17)?  Did he mean, “How can I be saved from punishment by my superiors?”  Whatever he meant, Paul and Silas knew what they meant.   The door (both of the cell and the jailer’s heart) was open.

Paul and Silas tell the word of the Lord.  It seems the jail was a dungeon underneath the jailer’s house.  He takes Paul and Silas there to wash their wounds.  They baptize the jailer and his whole believing family.  Now the house, rocked by the “jail quake” rocks with the joy of faith in God.  This, it appears, was the Lord’s aim all along.  The jailer didn’t just happen to hear the Lord’s word and believe; he and his family were the Lord’s target from the start.  (No, I don’t know why.)

The next morning the Roman authorities sent police officers with the order, “Let those men go.”  So the jailer told Paul, “The officials have sent an order for you and Silas to be released. You may leave, then, and go in peace. But Paul said to the police officers, “We were not found guilty of any crime, yet they whipped us in public – and we are Roman citizens! Then they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Not at all! The Roman officials themselves must come here and let us out.”  The police officers reported these words to the Roman officials; and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid.  So they went and apologized to them; then they led them out of the prison and asked them to leave the city.  Paul and Silas left the prison and went to Lydia’s house. There they met the believers, spoke words of encouragement to them, and left (Acts 16:36-40, TEV).

Apparently the Roman magistrates thought one night in jail would teach these Jewish trouble-makers.  Just release them; they’ll never come back here.  But when the jailer relayed the officers’ order,  Paul and Silas were of no mind to simply move on.  Why?  Either they were demanding justice or not allowing these magistrates to lay any legal groundwork for future injustice.  Consequently these self-important authorities were compelled to openly apologize and politely ask the missionaries to leave.  After encouraging the new believers, they did—triumphantly, though not without scars.

* * * * *

The Book of Acts records the advance of the Gospel.   Acts 1:8 may stand as its theme statement . . .

But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

If so, then Acts 14:22 should be arguably nailed to it . . .

“We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God,” they taught.

The Gospel will advance, the empowered apostles will bear witness to the risen Lord, but normally in the face of opposition.  No triumphalism here!  Not in Philippi.  Not anywhere.

Triumphalism, as defined by Dr. Sam Storms, is “belief that the overt and consummate victories that we will experience only in the age to come are available to us now.”  How easy to watch these four missionaries march out of Philippi as conquering heroes who cast out a demon, escaped prison, converted a Gentile family and compelled the arrogant Roman magistrates to almost grovel at their feet!  How normal to think this is the “normal Christian life”, and we should expect a similar triumph in the next town!  (All the while conveniently forgetting the beating, the stocks, the hours in the cell and the nearly absolute authority of the magistrates.)

Typically we teach this story in Sunday school, while ignoring James being martyred by the sword (Acts 12:2).  We much prefer Hebrews 11:32-35a . . .

There isn’t enough time for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.  Through faith they fought whole countries and won. They did what was right and received what God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions, put out fierce fires, escaped being killed by the sword. They were weak, but became strong; they were mighty in battle and defeated the armies of foreigners.  Through faith women received their dead relatives raised back to life  . . .

to Hebrews 11:35b-39a, TEV . . .

Others, refusing to accept freedom, died under torture in order to be raised to a better life.  Some were mocked and whipped, and others were put in chains and taken off to prison.  They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were killed by the sword. They went around clothed in skins of sheep or goats – poor, persecuted, and mistreated.  The world was not good enough for them! They wandered like refugees in the deserts and hills, living in caves and holes in the ground.  What a record all of these have won by their faith!

Of course.  I do too!  But the same commendable faith in the same Lord is found in both.  The Lord delivers Paul in Philippi, but eventually he’ll let him die a martyr.  Turn off the preacher who deceives us with his “ya gotta have big faith” talk!  Stop deluding yourself into thinking that the Christian who really believes and is really committed enjoys the triumphs of the age to come now without defeat and humiliation and pain.

We must be biblical Christians, holding on to faith no matter what (and trusting the Spirit to gift us with faith when we cannot).  And, let’s do it  waiting with expectant hope for that great “jail quake” yet to come . . .

“I will once more shake not only the earth
but heaven as well.”  The words “once more”
plainly show that the created things will be
shaken and removed, so that the things
that cannot be shaken will remain.
Let us be thankful, then,
because we receive a kingdom
that cannot be shaken.
Let us be grateful and worship God
in a way that will please him,
with reverence and awe; 
because our God is indeed a destroying fire
(Hebrews 12:26-29, TEV)

The church was born in a hostile environment.  Less than two months earlier, the Jewish Council in Jerusalem had pushed the Roman governor to crucify Jesus.  So, as 120 followers of their now-resurrected and ascended Lord met, they knew they were a minority in enemy territory.

When the Jewish holy day Pentecost came, the Holy Spirit poured down and empowered those believers as Jesus had promised.  Peter preached Jesus as Messiah to a curious crowd, and 3000 repented and believed.  It was an exciting turn of events, but one which would lead to greater hostility.

Some time later Peter again preached to a curious crowd after he and John had brought healing to a well-known lame beggar at a temple gate.  Authorities arrested the two apostles for preaching Jesus resurrected.  After being released, the apostles continued to spread the news about Jesus as the unity of the church community deepened.

They grew to about 5,000.  (Even so, the church probably never reached 20% of the city’s population.)  Growing numbers, continual sermons and undeniable miracles compelled the Jewish Council to arrest apostles again, this time threatening and beating them.  But the Lord answered their prayer for boldness and the gospel continued to spread accompanied by signs and wonders.

One of the church leaders, Stephen, publicly defended himself by condemning the unbelieving authorities. They stoned him to death.  That day, great persecution broke out against the church.  Believers all scattered from the city, except the apostles.  But, wherever they went, they preached the word about Jesus.

Saul, a rising-star rabbi, ravaged believers.  He stormed from house to house dragging them off to prison.  He received official authorization to Damascus, Syria.  On the way, a sudden blinding light struck him. Jesus appeared to him and called him to preach the gospel to Gentiles.  After healing, Saul (later to be known as Paul) started preaching Jesus in Damascus.  It wasn’t long before he had to escape for his life.  Fleeing to Jerusalem, he continued his ministry there.

Meanwhile, Peter worked miracles and preached the word in Samaria.  Most notably he told the good news to a Gentile household of Romans.  When the Holy Spirit came upon them all, it signaled the Lord’s acceptance of them and the start of a great influx of Gentiles.  Scattered believers from Jerusalem planted a strong Gentile church in Antioch, Syria.

All this advance, however, was not without cost.  In addition to Stephen’s martyrdom by stoning, King Herod had James, John’s brother, killed by the sword (probably beheaded).  Only the Lord knows how many other believers were martyred in “the great persecution” of those early years.

Theological contention became another cost of the gospel advance, especially after Barnabas and Paul won Gentile converts on Crete and in southern Galatia.  The issue?  Should circumcision and obedience to the law of Moses be required of Gentile believers?  After all, Jesus was the Jews’ Messiah.  And the church was born Jewish.  Leaders held a council in Jerusalem.  Conclusion:  Gentiles would not be required to be circumcised and obey Moses’ law.

I’ve reviewed our trip through Acts so far, because we’ve been on a long hiatus in Galatians and James.  (We’re following the Acts’ narrative, interrupting it to consider the apostles’ letters about the time they wrote them.)  Today we come to a surprising, somewhat unpleasant incident . . .

It started unremarkably enough when Paul suggested to Barnabas they revisit the new churches from their first missions trip.  Barnabas replied, “I’d like to take Mark.”  Paul thought it unwise.  “Mark deserted us last time, remember?”  Their conversation escalated until it erupted into a cutting confrontation and ended in the first church split in history.  Here’s how author Luke recorded it . . .

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.”  Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,  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.  They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus  but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.  He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches  (Acts15:36-41).

I understand the Scripture is Holy Spirit-inspired.  I still find it surprising that Luke included  this “missionary melee” for the whole world to read.  It wasn’t a friendly conversation over coffee and bagels.  It was a “sharp disagreement.”  The same Greek term is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament translated “angry”:  “Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, bringing upon it all the curses written in this book, and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger and fury and great wrath, and cast them into another land, as they are this day” (Deuteronomy 29:27j, ESV).  That’s pretty hot and heavy stuff.

That these two church leaders would get into “a sharp disagreement” is almost as shocking as overhearing your pastor and his wife arguing.  And then the Holy Spirit leads Luke to include it in his narrative!    It reminds me that the heroes of the faith were just men and women like us.  We don’t venerate them as saints.  (All born-agains are saints!)  Nor should we think of their exploits as beyond us, because the same Spirit who empowered them empowers us.

Don’t you wonder, though, why the Sovereign Lord allowed it?  I don’t know, except that the Lord uses us in our weakness.  (” . . . for my power is made perfect in weakness”–2 Corinthians 12:9).  And just how was his power perfected here?  Simple:  two missionary teams instead of just one.  Paul chose Silas and went his way.  Barnabas took Paul and headed off his way.

If you’re like me, you’re asking, “Why couldn’t the Holy Spirit have led Paul to say, ‘Hey, Barnabas.  We could double our effectiveness if I took Silas back to Galatia and you took your cousin Mark to Cyprus.  What do you think?'”  Instead—verbal fisticuffs!  God moves in a mysterious way!

Of course, from our vantage-point in time, we can see how God caused  this to “work together for good.”  Then it was probably something to be embarrassed about.

Makes me wish we could see the good in our painful “thing” while going through it.  Instead, we just have to trust God’s Romans 8:28 promise.  (And maybe sing again the old hymn . . . )

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

You fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.