The Old Preacher

Viewing the World through God's Word

Category: The Word (Page 25 of 34)

God-Appointed for Life

March 8, 2016 /

O PreacherWhy do some people believe the gospel of Jesus crucified and resurrected and others don’t?  The aftermath of Paul’s sermon at the Pisidian Antioch synagogue contains an unconventional answer.

(If you missed it, you can read his sermon in Acts 13:16-41—https://theoldpreacher.com/look-you-scoffers/).

Thoughtful Response to the Gospel.

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked
with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:42,43).

Did resurrection prove Jesus is God’s Son, the fulfillment of all God’s promises to Israel?  The Jews’ answer would be life-changing, so they wanted more information.  They invited Paul and Barnabas back next Sabbath.  Others, however, followed the missionaries  to learn more that day.

We should commend people like that who recognize the gravity of the gospel and want to think deeply about it.  I grew up in a generation where responding to Jesus seemed more emotional than thoughtful.  Even today, I suspect many people’s reaction is knee-jerk.  Such a decision for or against Jesus is foolish.  This is the most transformative choice we will ever make.

Hostile Response to the Gospel.

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.  Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.  For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'”  When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.  The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.  So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.  And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:42-52).

The next Sabbath “almost the whole city”–that would include a high number of Gentiles–attended synagogue. That made the Jews, especially the leaders, resentful.  They reacted, not by sending unwanted Gentiles home, but by openly contradicting Paul and criticizing him.

How might we feel if a guest speaker visited our church and attracted a huge crowd of “undesirable” people?  Especially when they sat in “our”seats!

Paul responded by saying, “We came to you first, since you are descendants of Abraham.  But you’ve refused to listen.  You’ve decided you’re unworthy of the gospel of eternal life.”  So we’ll go to the Gentiles, because the Lord made us a light to them to bring this salvation to the whole earth.”  At that the Gentiles were happy and the Lord’s word spread throughout the whole area.  But the Jews convinced the “women of high standing” to presumably persuade their husbands (city leaders) to drive Paul and Barnabas out-of-town.  It was an ignominious conclusion for the apostles, but a glorious one for the gospel.

God-Appointed Response to the Gospel.

That brings us back to our original question:  Why do some people believe the gospel of Jesus crucified and resurrected and others don’t?  The answer sits at the end of verse 48—all who were appointed for eternal life believed.  The implication is clear:  some were appointed for eternal life, others were not.  The ones appointed believed, the un-appointed did not.

The Greek word translated “appointed” is tasso.  It’s used in Acts 15:2 of Paul and Barnabas and others “appointed” by the church in Antioch to attend the important Jerusalem Council.  And it’s used of a day “appointed” for visiting Jews to meet Paul who was under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:23).   The English definition of “appoint” is “to name or assign to a position, office, or the like.”  To “appoint” is to “assign, choose, name.”

Someone “appointed” some of these Antioch Gentiles (and probably some Jews also) for eternal life.  Who?  Certainly not Satan!  No human has such power.  The only possible answer is the Lord.  So Luke is explaining that those whom the Lord named to receive eternal life believed the gospel.  Those not named did not believe and did not receive eternal life.

Therefore, what looked like a chaotic defeat for the gospel in Antioch turned into a joyful win!  Despite city-wide, official opposition, despite the messengers being kicked out-of-town,  many believed with great joy and “and the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.” 

Our Hope for a Gospel “Win”.

I don’t want to get into a Calvinist/Arminian debate.  (If you don’t know what those terms mean, you’re probably better off.)  Rather than debate, let’s be encouraged.  Obviously God was the initiator here.  He appointed many for eternal life.  Consequently, they believed.  This is what and why we pray for unbelievers we care about.  God must be the initiator.  (“Lord, please move Mary to believe in Jesus!”)

This gives us great hope for “Mary”, because her coming to faith doesn’t depend on our powers of persuasion.  It depends on the Lord acting on Mary’s mind and heart.  It depends on him appointing “Mary” for eternal life and giving her faith.

So, instead of getting tangled up in knotty theological questions, let’s stand firmly on this text and pray for the unbelievers we love, begging our Lord to act in mercy and grace and love to “appoint” them for eternal life and bring them to faith.  What an encouragement this is!  “Mary’s salvation doesn’t depend on us, though we have to speak the gospel.  Eternal life, and the faith that leads to it, depends on our God who has mercy on whom he has mercy (Romans 9:15).  Only he can enlighten dark minds and soften hard hearts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look, You Scoffers!

March 3, 2016 /

O PreacherTwo hundred forty miles to the 5th sermon of “The Acts Eight”.  Paphos on Cyrpus by ship to Perga (where John
Mark turns back), then six  days through rugged and dangerous mountains over 3,600 feet elevation.  To Antiock of Pisidia    (in today’s Turkey).  Antioch was a main garrison city for Roman military in the midst of a Greek and Jewish population.                                    
Paul and Barnabas attend the local Jewish synagogue where the visitors are invited to speak an encouraging word to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the Sabbath congregation (Acts 13:13-15).

Paul recounts God’s revelation in Israel’s history from the patriarchs to King David.

Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!  The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country,  he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert,  he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.  All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.  Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.  After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do'”  (Acts 13:16-22).

Note Paul’s claim that God was the main actor.  “God chose our fathers” . . . “he made the people prosper” . . . “he led them out”, etc.  The history of Israel is God’s story.  To the Jews and Gentile God-fearers this was familiar ground.  In the bright light of this 21st century day, however, it’s a radical, if not provocative, claim.  How does one ethnic group get to claim God as the actor in their history?  And which God?  And what makes Israel’s God so special?  Many dismiss the whole business as religious fanaticism.

As Paul continues, the radical, provocative claims only increase  . . .

“From this man’s (David’s) descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.  Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.  As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you think I am? I am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie’.   Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.  The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.  Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.  When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.  But God raised him from the dead,  and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.  We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers  he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:  ‘You are my Son; today I have become your Father.’  The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:  ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’  So it is stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’  For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.  Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:23-39).

Paul preached this to Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who knew the Prophet’s words.  They knew Moses’ law.  They understood animal sacrifices for sin.  The news of Jesus’ death wasn’t all that significant, since dozens of Jews were routinely crucified by the Romans.

But the announcement of Jesus’ resurrection was something else altogether.  It was, declared Paul, a fulfillment of Scripture.  And there are witnesses.  It means the forgiveness of sins through Jesus.  It means justification (a verdict of “not guilty”) because of him.

To 21st century minds this sounds like foolishness.  The Prophets were strange–ancient to us and old is always odd.  Moses’ law is for orthodox Jews; it’s an ethnic thing.  Sin went out with the clunky portable radio you carried around to sound cool with your music.  And the guilt of sin is something you get psychological counseling for now.

So Paul’s conclusion may be even more appropriate for us than for his Antioch audience . . .

“Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:   ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you'” (Acts 13: 40,41). 

That quote from the prophet Habakkuk calls to mind the fact that throughout biblical history, the Lord did some surprising, totally unexpected things.  (Take the opening of the Red Sea or the choice of shepherd-boy David as king, for instance.)  But this one, well, this takes the prize.  Jesus, sent by God, gets crucified.  Everybody who believed in him saw their dreams die.  Then, on the third day, his tomb stands empty and his followers see him alive again, complete with nail-scarred hands and a heavenly bodyl

Scoff?  Mock?  Jeer at such childish ideas?  “Look, you scoffers”, and C. S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia author) might add . . .

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

 

 

 

Search and Rescue

February 28, 2016 /

O PreacherJesus was no Dalai Lama enthroned on a high Tibet mountain waiting for seekers.  Nor did he hold to the philosophy, “If you build it, they will come.”  Jesus gave us his strategy:  ” . . . the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

In the Book of Acts, author Luke reports how the Holy Spirit carried on Jesus’ mission through the church.  We see it again in the newly-planted church at Antioch . . .

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off (Acts 13:1-3).

Probably the Holy Spirit spoke through the gift of prophecy while these leaders were open and sensitive to him during worship and fasting.  His message was clear.  Barnabas and Saul were to be set apart for a specially-called mission—as we’ll see, a search and rescue mission similar to Jesus’.  The other leaders designated them as church representatives and sent them off.  This mission would eventually reach Rome itself, the heart of the Empire—and perhaps even Spain on the eastern Atlantic.

Barnabas and Saul left from Antioch’s port city, Seleucia, headed for Cyprus.  The island, the Mediterranean’s third largest, lay 275 miles to the west.

The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.  They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos (Acts 13:4-6a).

Their search and rescue mission took them from the port of Salamis on the east to the western-most city of Paphos.  As was to become Paul’s practice, they preached Jesus as Messiah in the Jewish synagogues along the way.  John Mark, Barnabas’ cousin, accompanied them.  It’s been speculated that his “help” was perhaps to pass along his eyewitness report of Jesus’ suffering and death.  When they arrived at Paphos, things got a bit exciting.

There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,  who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.  But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.  Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said,  “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?  Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.  When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord (Acts 13:6b-12).

Both Salamis and Paphos were flourishing centers for commerce and the worship of the pagan goddess called “the Paphian”.  For more than 50 years, Rome had ruled Cyprus through the administration of a proconsul, the current being Sergius Paulus.

That he calls for Barnabas and Saul “to hear the word of God” is quite extraordinary.  He’s “an intelligent man” wielding significant power.  Barnabas and Saul are nobodies without authority or political prestige.  If one didn’t know better, he might think the Holy Spirit had already been at work!

But so is the devil.  Elymas the magician, a member of the proconsul’s court,  sees Sergius Paulus starting to accept the missionaries’ message and tries to divert him.  Paul will not allow it.  Led by the Holy Spirit, he confronts the magician, calls him some non-politically correct names and curses him with temporary blindness.  While poor Elymas fumbles around for someone to take his hand and get him out of there, the proconsul believes the amazing teaching about the Lord.

We’re not told anything about the results of the missionaries preaching anywhere on Cyprus, except at Paphos.  As far as Luke’s account shows, no one believed, though seeds may have been planted.  But as far as I can tell, there was one Gentile proconsul on the far western end of Cyprus, 275 miles away from Antioch, the Holy Spirit apparently had searched out and begun working in.  When he hears two “nobody” Jewish preachers are in town telling about Jesus, he calls them in.  And the Holy Spirit uses a Jewish spiritual con-man’s opposition attempts to confirm the Gospel and the proconsul believes.  If I’m getting this right, this was a Spirit-directed search and rescue mission for one man.

If you are a Jesus faith-follower like me, that means at some point in our lives the Holy Spirit went on a search and rescue mission for you and for me.  In our case, we’re the “nobodies.”  Yet the eternal God of the universe, not only sent his Son to the cross, he sent someone with the Gospel through whom he searched for and rescued us.

We would do well to sit quietly and ponder that wonder, then worship him—not only singing praise to him with our words but serving him with our lives.

 

 

 

 

The State Can’t Stop the Church

February 25, 2016 /

P.Allan“The days of gospel persecution in the United States no longer just hang on the distant horizon; they are already here, at least for some. It’s beginning with the bakers, florists, and photographers. Before long, the consensus may be that faithful biblical exposition is ‘hate speech’ (John Piper, Desiring God Ministries, Think It Not Strange).  Fear mongering?   Hardly.  The signs are here.  And for some, the substance has started.

But Acts 12 gives us Jesus-followers confidence and informs believers and unbelievers alike that the State can never stop the church.

King Herod’s Persecution (12:1-5)

Herod Agrippa (10 B.C. – 44 A.D.) ruled Palestine for Rome.  He was said to be “a pious observer of Jewish practices and a ruthless suppressor of minorities when they became disruptive”  (William J. Larkin, Jr., A Commentary on the Book of Acts).  For reasons we’re not told he began to persecute the church.  James,

John’s brother, he had killed.  Peter he had arrested, perhaps to meet the same fate.

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.  When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.  So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

How could the Christians withstand the king who represented the Roman Empire?  Their only weapon was prayer.  Author Luke tells us “the church was earnestly praying to God for him”.  The Greek word, ektenos, implies they were praying fervently and continually.  James’ death was a blow to the believers; they didn’t want Peter to be martyred too.

At this moment, as I wrote in “Think It Not Strange” (https://theoldpreacher.com/think-it-not-strange/), we have brothers and sisters in Christ somewhere in the world suffering persecution.  Lois and I include them in our daily prayer time together.  Although we don’t know their names or even exactly where they are, the Lord does.  I believe not only does the Lord use our prayers for them; praying like this prepares us for the time persecution hits closer to home.

Peter’s Angelic Rescue (12:6-19)

For the sake of space I’ll tell this part of the story . . . Between two soldiers, bound with two chains, on the eve of his trial, Peter was sleeping in prison.  Was it the Lord giving his beloved rest on such a night?  Suddenly a radiant angel appeared.  He poked Peter awake.  “Hurry, get up!”  As Peter did, his chains fell off.  “Get dressed! Follow me!”  Peter thought he was dreaming.  They walked past Guard Station #1, then #2.  As they approached the outside gate, it opened by itself.  One block away the angel disappeared.  Suddenly it dawned on him that this was real. 

He headed for John’s (also called Mark) mother Mary’s house where he knew a prayer meeting was being held for him.  A knock on the outer door brought a servant girl, Rhoda.  Hoping to get inside without being seen, he called out.  Rhoda recognized his voice and, instead of opening the door, was so happy she ran back inside and announced, “It’s Peter!”  They thought she was crazy.  So, with Peter standing nervously outside still knocking, the prayer meeting turned into a dispute.  “It’s Peter!”  “You”re crazy!”  “No, really; I know his voice.”  You have too much wine with dinner?”  “I’m telling you, it’s Peter!”  “You’re dreaming!”  Finally, some wise soul suggested they open the door.  Presto!  There stood Peter.  After explaining his rescue, he set off for the church safe house.

In the morning, as you can imagine, a bit of a brouhaha broke out at the city jail.  King Herod was, well let’s just say, not pleased.  Furious, he ordered a search, but no Peter anywhere.  Then he interrogated the guards who had nothing to say.  Herod had no one left to kill, so the guards suffered his wrath.

Why did the Lord rescue Peter and allow James be put to the sword?  In Acts 26:16,17 Paul explained his conversion.  The Lord appeared to him and told him I am “delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you . . . ”  Implication:  the Lord’s hand protects his servants so they can fulfill their calling.  Presumably, when they finally do, the Lord calls them home.  James had done his job.  Peter had more work to do.

From “ground level”, though, the State seems to have won.  Just ten years after Jesus’ resurrection, one of the twelve apostles has been beheaded.  Despite Peter’s escape, Herod seems obsessed with mutilating the church one member at a time.  However . . .

King Herod’s Death (12:20-23)

One day conducting ordinary kingly business . . .

Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.  They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”  Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Church members may be persecuted and suffer real loss.  We may even be martyred.  (Only the Lord knows what awaits us in days of growing gospel persecution.)  But death is the corridor to Jesus.  And eventually, the persecutors become worm food.

The Multiplied Spread of God’s Word (12:24,25).

But the word of God continued to increase and spread.  When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.  When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

Focus on the first sentence.  James has gone to Jesus.  The king got eaten by worms and died a drawn out, painful, humiliating death.  “But”—I love that word in these battles!  “But the word of God continued to increase and spread.”  

Be encouraged.  Be informed.  Regardless of what persecution may come, the State can’t stop the Church of Jesus Christ!

Celebrate that with the video above.  The music style may not be your kind, but the song is ours to sing because of our Lord!

The Gospel to Poles-Apart People

February 23, 2016 /

O PreacherA lesbian once phoned to ask if she and her partner would be welcomed at our church.  I was totally unprepared.  I wondered to myself how our people would respond.  I wasn’t sure.  So I ended up telling her they would be more comfortable elsewhere.  After I hung up, I had second thoughts.  Did I miss an opportunity to get in on something God may have been doing in those women’s lives?  Or did they firmly believe that Jesus accepted them as lesbians?

The Aftermath of Peter Visiting Cornelius.

Among the Jewish Christian church were men firmly convinced that any non-Jew who joined the church needed circumcision.  So when Peter returned to Jerusalem, he was confronted by critics . . .

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him  and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”  Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened:  “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.  I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.  Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’  “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’  “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’  This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.  “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.  The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.  He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.  He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’  “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.  Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’  So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”  When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life” (Acts 11:1-18).

Thankfully they resolved the conflict.  The coming of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his guests sealed the deal.  “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”  When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

I wonder.  I know that circumcision and lesbianism are vastly different issues.  I know that same-sex practice is sinful and that many believe it isn’t.  But must a lesbian turn away from her lesbianism before she can become a Christian?  Must she renounce her lesbian practice before the church welcomes her in love?  A practicing lesbian shouldn’t ultimately feel comfortable in our churches, just as an adulterer shouldn’t.  But is it possible to love them into hearing the truth of the gospel?  Could our churches do that? Suppose the lesbian couple spoke in tongues as they did at Pentecost?   Would we receive that as a sign of God’s acceptance of them (not their lesbian practice) or would we condemn their “charismatic” practice?

The Gospel Reaches Gentile Antioch                                                         

Antioch, the seat of the Roman provincial administration in Syria, was the world’s third largest city behind Rome and Alexandria (Egypt).  Known for its sexual immorality (largely because of its pagan cults),  it was about to become the center of Gentile Christianity.  Author Luke reports that the church was planted there as a result of earlier persecution in Jerusalem about 490 miles to the south.

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.  Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.  News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.  He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.  Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,  and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.  During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)  The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.  This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:19-30).

The “men of Cyprus and Cyrene” took a momentous step by “preaching the Lord Jesus” to these Gentiles.  This time no controversy erupted (though the “Gentile issue” was far from settled).  Perhaps that had much to do with Barnabas (“the son of encouragement“) and Saul, who both were Grecian Jews, not “Jewish” Jews who insisted Gentiles become circumcised Jews to become Christian.

And perhaps they also understood that all of us are “unclean” before the holy God.  Paul knew that . . .

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–
of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason
I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners,
Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience
as an example for those who would believe on him
and receive eternal life.
(1 Timothy 1:15,16)

Among some Jews, circumcision had become a badge of superiority.  They were God’s chosen people.  I’m guessing that “Jewish supremacy” at least partly motivated them.  And nothing turns people off to the gospel like pride.  When the gospel is preached by a “supremacist”, unbelievers can “smell” the odor. The Jewish church had some genuine theological issues to deal with.  But I suspect with some supremacy was a motivating factor.  This is especially true when it comes to sinners against God’s sexual laws today.  Any hint of supremacy must be humbly crucified.

Better in telling the gospel that we purge ourselves of pride
and speak with the attitude that  “The gospel is just one sinner
telling another where he can find bread.”

Image result for photos of beggars finding bread

Level Ground at the Cross

February 22, 2016 /

O Preacher(Please play video at end.)  The existence of an organization like “Black Lives Matter” (http://blacklivesmatter.com/)  is only one indicator of America’s racial divide.  How can we ever bridge it?  If we think about it, we realize racial schism stems from a deeper divide–the one between us and God.  Today’s text, the fourth sermon in “The Acts Eight”, speaks to both.

Accompanied by fellow-believers from Joppa, along with Cornelius’ three
messengers, Peter has arrived at Caesarea.   The Roman centurion has invited
family and friends to hear what Peter has to say.  We should note that God
called this meeting.  Remember how he gave visions to Cornelius (Acts 10:3-6)
and Peter (Acts 10:10-16)?   (See theoldpreacher.com/visions?/)  He has orchestrated this unusual encounter.

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (10:34,35).

Peter admits he now understands his “zoo” vision.  God doesn’t play favorites.  We shouldn’t skim over Peter’s admission.  It’s as mind-blowing as a religious white supremacist realizing God accepts the loudest Black Lives Matter protester!  For long rabbis had taught what the Old Testament didn’t–that Gentiles (all non-Jews) were “unclean”.   On this day God is righting racism by the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ . . .

You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.  You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached . . . (10:36,37).

Peter knows Cornelius knows about current events, but he’ll review them anyway.

God sent a message to Israel . . .  The message is the good news of peace.  Peace here isn’t a serene feeling, but the state of reconciliation with God . . . God told this message of peace through Jesus Christ (that is, Jesus Messiah, God’s Anointed One, long-promised by the prophets) . . . Jesus Christ is Lord (Master, Ruler, Sovereign) of all.  He’s not a parochial deity:  he is Lord of all.  His gospel of peace is for Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Having summarized Jesus’ identity and message, Peter now turns to Jesus’ actions . . .

–how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.  “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,  but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.  He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen– by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead (10:38-41).

Jesus clearly possessed power–power to do good and to heal people dominated by the devil.  The source of that power was God the Holy Spirit.  “We (the apostles)”, says Peter, “saw it all.”  Peter isn’t telling a passed-around story; he’s testifying to what he saw with his own eyes.  That included Jesus’ death at the hand of the Jews.  And–this is the heart of apostolic preaching–“God raised him from the dead . . . ”  God had previously chosen witnesses–those who ate and drank with him alive after the grave–so they could verify Jesus-in-the-flesh was back from the grave.

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (10:36-43).

Peter sees himself (as do the other apostles) as a man under command:  To testify to a double-sided truth.  One, Jesus is the God-appointed judge of the living and the dead.  Everyone must stand in his courtroom and answer to him.  Every human who has  ever lived must give an account of himself/herself to the Risen Lord of All.

Two, (and here Peter points back to what the prophets told about Messiah):  “everyone who believes in [the Lord Jesus Christ, crucified and risen] receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”  This is the gospel of peace, the gospel of reconciliation with God.

The Holy Spirit Falls.

Peter gets no chance to lead his hearers in “the sinner’s prayer”.  Instead, God the Holy Spirit interrupts.  Why this extraordinary intervention?  Because these are Gentiles.  People counted “unclean” by the rabbis.  Romans who stand outside the promises of God.  But on this day in this house, a frontier has been crossed.  A Jew has preached the gospel of God’s peace through Jesus Christ to non-Jews.  And God wants to show his approval.

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.  The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.  For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,  “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”  So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days (10:44-48).

* * *

The ground is level at the foot of the cross.  No one—regardless of race, gender or politics—is barred from coming to God through Jesus Christ’s gospel of peace.  And at the cross, everyone is the same.  Race is secondary.  Gender is secondary.  Politics are secondary.  Jesus Christ is all in all.

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visions?

February 18, 2016 /

P.AllanHe was wide awake.  Yet it was dream-like.  But real.  Three o’clock in the afternoon Cornelius saw an angel.  Terror gripped him, but he couldn’t look away.  He heard himself stammering:  “What is it, Lord?”

The angel announced:  “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have not gone unnoticed by God!  Now send some men down to Joppa to find a man named Simon Peter.  He is staying with Simon, a leather worker who lives near the shore.  Ask him to come and visit you.”

Then the angel was gone. Cornelius was alone again.  He was more used to giving orders than taking them.  He commanded 100 Roman soldiers.  His unit was part of the Italian Regiment (the Cohores II Miliaria Italica Civium Romanorum).  Centurions like him were the backbone of the Roman army,  natural leaders, men who would hold their ground when being beaten and hard pressed, ready, if necessary, to die at their posts.

He was also a Gentile worshiper of the God of the Jewish Scriptures.  He kept their ethical code, attended synagogue,  and observed the Sabbath.  However, he wouldn’t become a Jewish proselyte.  Therefore, Jews counted him a ritually unclean Gentile.

Despite the strangeness of the angel-experience, Cornelius chose to believe and obey.  Calling two personally-close household servants and a faithful soldier, he confided everything that had happened and sent them  on the thirty mile trip to Joppa.  He wondered what might come of it.

* * * * *

After the raising of Tabitha from the dead, Peter remained in Joppa at Simon the leather maker’s home.  The day after Cornelius’ vision, his servants neared the city.  Meanwhile, at Simon’s house,  Peter tramped up the outside stairway to the flat roof.  The Mediterranean breezes and awning would help cool him during noon prayers.

As he prayed he could hear a meal being prepared downstairs.  The aroma wafted on the breeze and his stomach growled.   A movement in the heavens caught his eye.  He was awake.  It was real.  But like  a dream.  The heavens opened and a great sheet, like a ship’s sail, was being let down by its corners.  He could see inside it now—animals and reptiles and birds of all kinds.  A voice came to him:  “Peter, get up, kill and eat!”

He refused.  He’d never eaten anything the Jewish food laws called common or unclean.  But the voice spoke again, more insistent:  “What God has made clean, don’t call common!”  Three times the scene repeated.  Then slowly the sheet-sail ascended to heaven.

Peter rubbed his eyes.  What did it mean?  He was perplexed.  At that moment Cornelius’ messengers stood at the front gate calling for a Peter who might be staying at the house.  On the roof, the Spirit spoke:  “Peter, three men are looking for you.  Get up and go down and go with them right away.  I have sent them.”

Peter lumbered down the outside stairway.  “I am Peter.  Why have you come?”  The messengers explained,  “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout man who fears the God of Israel and is well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to send for you so you can go to his house and give him a message.”   Peter invited them in to be his guests.

* * * * *

The next morning they all set out for Cornelius’ home in  Caesarea, accompanied by some of the believers from Joppa.  When they arrived the following day, they found Cornelius had invited relatives and close friends.  Peter entered the house and Cornelius bowed down to worship him.  But Peter rebuked him saying, “I am just a man.”

Peter knew he was on unlawful Gentile ground.  “But God has shown me, he said, that I should not call any person common or unclean.  That’s why I came.  Now tell me, why did you send for me?”

Cornelius explained his angel-appearance.  “So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now here we are, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”  (all the above from Acts 10:1-33)

* * * * *

Happenings like this provoke unbelievers to deny the Bible.  Visions?  Of an angel to Cornelius?  Of an animal smorgasbord to Peter?  Surely if God wanted two men to meet, he could have found a more normal means!  Maybe so.  But my point here is to comment on visions.

Why dismiss them as weird?  Since God can create out of nothing, open the Red Sea, speak to humans, and so on, why is it weird for his angels to take God’s message to men?  Admittedly, a sail holding a zoo is a little “out there”, but it obviously got Peter’s attention.

If we begrudgingly believe visions might have been real then, what about today? 

In his book, “Killing Christians”,  Tom Doyle tells eight thrilling stories of Muslims becoming Christians and the sufferings they endured.  One tells of a woman on foot with her two children fleeing war in Syria.  At one point along the way they are befriended in Amman, Jordan by a Muslim Christian woman who gives them an apartment to temporarily shelter in.  It had been a dangerous, frightening journey.

One morning Dori’s daughter Hania says, “Mother, I had a dream that lasted almost all night.  A man in a white robe told me that we are safe now, and He would take care of us.  He said His name was Jesus.”

Dori asks if the man in the dream said anything else.  “It was something very strange.
He told me that He loves me.  And, Mother, somehow I know that He does!  I could see it
in His eyes.  And it wasn’t just a dream.”

A shiver goes up Dori’s back.  “Sweetheart, I had the same dream!”

Being Muslims, the family believed that Jesus the prophet had appeared to them.
Through the witness of another Muslim-turned-Christian, the family gradually
came to believe who Jesus really is and gave their lives to him.

Events like these don’t appear in the news, so most of us are completely unaware of what God is doing “beneath the radar”.  Consequently, unbelievers dismiss as crazy talk of God intervening by dreams and visions into the world’s darkest, most violent places.  If God’s to be anywhere, let’s keep him  inside the church building!  But God isn’t subject to our small-minded, unbelieving attempts to box him in and shut him up.  In fact, these are the very days we are to expect such wonders . . .

“And in the last days,” God declares,
I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pout out my Spirit and they shall prophecy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass
that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
(Acts 2:17-21)

Be encouraged, Christian!  God is at work in the world—
in ways that are beneath-the-radar extraordinary!

Is Jesus Back?

February 14, 2016 /

O PreacherSeemed like Jesus was back in Judea, even though at least five years had passed since his death.

Jesus heals the Paralytic Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35).

As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the saints in Lydda.    There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.  “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you.   Get                   
up and take care of your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.  All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord  (Acts 9:32-35).

We last saw Peter preaching  the Gospel in Samaria (9:25).  He’s now traveled south to a town called Lydda in Judea.  The “saints” he visits are believers in Jesus having been converted either at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41) or from Philip’s preaching in that area (Acts 8:40).

The miracle here is quite similar to author Luke’s account of Jesus healing a paralytic in Capernaum.  The paralytic’s  friends had lowered him through the roof into a crowded house.  When Jesus told him his sins were forgiven, the Pharisees silently condemned him for blaspheming.  To prove he had authority to forgive sins, Jesus said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  When he did, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.  They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today'” (Luke 5:18-26).

Here are similarities.  Both the paralytic in Luke 5 and Aeneas in Acts 9 suffered the same ailment.  Both immediately got up when spoken to.  Both had a mat to pick up.  In Luke 5 the people were “amazed and gave praise to God.”  In Acts 9 they “turned to the Lord.”  And in both cases Jesus did the healing.  In Luke 5, Jesus did it in person.  In Acts 9 Jesus did it through Peter.  Peter said to Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you.”  Anyone who had known of Jesus’ healing the paralytic in Capernaum would have been reminded of that at Aeneas’ healing in Lydda.  Seemed like Jesus was back in Judea.

Jesus Raises the Dead Woman Tabitha (Acts 9:36-43).

 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.  Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”  Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.  Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.  He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.  This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.  Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon (Acts 9:36-43).

Joppa lay about 11 miles northwest of Lydda.  Close enough to be considered near, yet far enough in time for Tabitha to have truly died.  We don’t know what the disciples (a term author Luke typically uses of believers in Jesus) expected Peter to do; but Peter immediately knew what he would do.  This is the only account of an apostle raising someone from the dead.

This miracle is much like Mark’s account of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead . . .

When they (Jesus, Peter, James and John) came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.  He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”  But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.  He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).  Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.  He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat (Mark 5:38-43)..

Note the similarities.  In both cases people were crying and wailing at the death.  In both cases the crowd was removed from the dead person’s room.  In both cases the dead person was directly addressed with virtually the same words:  “Tabitha, get up” (Acts 9:40) and “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” (Mark 5:41).  In both cases the dead person got up.  Not surprisingly, reactions were similar.  In the case of Jairus’ daughter, “they were completely astonished” (Mark 5:42).  And in Tabitha’s case, “This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:43).  Anyone present at both miracles might very well have thought Jesus was back in Judea.

Jesus Still Doing (Acts 1:1).

I’ve noted this before, but it bears repeating.  Author Luke opened Acts with these words:  “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach . . . ”

” . . . all that Jesus began to do and to teach . . . ”  Luke declares that his Gospel writing was the record of what Jesus began to do and teach.  And by those words Luke implies that his Acts’ writing is the record of what Jesus continued to do and teach.  This is Trinitarian theology.  The Spirit of the Risen Christ—God the Holy Spirit—was continuing in Acts what Christ had begun in the Gospel.

That leads to this question:  Is Jesus still doing today? 

In his book Miracles, Eric Metaxas tells story after story of miracles today.  One short one is about his own grandmother . . .

I remember my own grandmother telling me how she had prayed for her own leg, which was hurting, and “felt a sizzling” and was instantly healed.  This was in the 1970s.  My mother was at work and my grandmother was taking care of my brother and me over summer vacation.  She told me that she spoke to God, saying, “I can’t take care of these children today unless you heal me,” and as she was talking to God . . . she felt a warmth in her leg and it was healed, just like that.

I’ve also come across a lengthy “Christianity Today” article from 2012.  There’s probably at least one thing in this that many people will question or outright dismiss as being “too charismatic.”  But, since “Christianity Today” is a middle-of-the-theological-read magazine and since the couple involved seem genuinely sacrificial givers for Christ’s sake, I came away believing the miracles are real.  You can read it here . . .

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/may/miracles-in-mozambique.html\
Miracles in Mozambique: How Mama Heidi Reaches the AbandonedIs Jesus “back”?
If so, we have reason to hope for signs and wonders
that will glorify him and fill us with great joy!

 

 

 

 

 

So Why the Shaky Start?

February 11, 2016 /

P.AllanAfter Jesus gave Saul a  knee-buckling, jaw-dropping, eye-blinding conversion, I’d expect his preaching start would be another Pentecost (Acts 2:41).  Not exactly.  In fact, Saul’s start was downright shaky . . .

Saul Preaches in Damascus (9:19b-22).

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.   All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”  Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

After his dramatic conversion (9:1-19a), Saul stayed with the Jesus’ followers in Damascus .   Immediately he preached in the Jewish synagogues:  “[Jesus] is the Son of God!”  The Jews (who’d heard of Saul’s mission to arrest Christian Jews) were astounded.  But as far as we know from the text, none believed his message.  Instead, the more powerful Saul became in proving Jesus the Messiah, the more befuddled the Jews became.

Their unbelief baffles me.  Saul, trained by Rabbi Gamaliel, knew the Old Testament like the back of his hand.  Furthermore (not noted by author Luke), sometime during this period, Saul went to Arabia for three years, presumably to re-study the Jewish Scriptures knowing now the prophesied Messiah was Jesus (Galatians 1:17).  Finally, I’d expect his “conversion power” to kind of “rub off” on his preaching.  Not in Damascus.  In fact, the Jews not only disbelieved, they plotted murder . . .

Saul Escapes Damascus in a Basket (9:23-25).

After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him,  but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.  But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

Thankfully those who did follow him heard of the plan.  So one night, after the city walls were closed,  they went to a house built into the city wall (or found an opening in the wall), stuffed him inside a basket (probably made of ropes like an old-fashioned hammock) and lowered him to the ground. Not exactly a triumphant exit!  I wonder if on the way down Saul remembered God’s word through Ananias:  ” . . . I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (9:16)?  On the other hand, he may just have been licking his rejection wounds.  All he could do now, as he scrambled out of his basket, was to head for Jerusalem.

Saul Suffers in Jerusalem (9:26-30).

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.  So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.  He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.  When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Since these were pre-social media days, the last the disciples knew of Saul was his leaving Jerusalem years earlier breathing fire toward the Christian Jews in Damascus.  Being Christian Jews themselves, they weren’t ready to offer Saul a room for the night.  But Barnabas (“the son of encouragement”) confirmed Saul’s story, though we’re not told how he knew it.  As far as Barnabas was concerned Saul was the real thing, especially after courageously preaching to blood-thirsty Jews.

So Saul openly preached and talked and debated the Grecian Jews (Jews born outside Israel).  But the response in Jerusalem was no better than that in Damascus.  ” . . . they tried to kill him.”  Again he had to be spirited out of town.  “The brothers” secretly took him north to Caesarea, bought him a boat ticket for his Tarsus hometown and sent him off.  At least a boat was better than a basket!  However, author Luke’s summary statement that follows isn’t exactly complimentary . . .

Saul Sent Off, So Peace (9:31).

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

To be fair “Then” (Greek oon) may simply be used chronologically.  Or it may refer to the result of a particular action.  (The Greek word can be used either way.)  If the latter, it means the church enjoyed peace now that chaos-provoking Saul was gone.  The Holy Spirit encouraged and strengthened the believing community.  And as the church lived in reverential fear of the Lord, numbers swelled.   Now that Saul had gone . . .

So Why the Shaky Start?

Obviously Saul (eventually known by his Roman name Paul) became the greatest apostle the church has ever known.  But why this shaky start?  I think from the get-go the Lord was teaching Saul to humbly rely on him.  I have no chapter-and-verse proof.  I just have my speculation about Saul’s personality.  Definitely type A.  Definitely self-confident, if not a little cocky.  Before conversion, he was going to personally “cleanse” the Damascus synagogues of apostate Jews.  He’d drag them 135 miles back to Jerusalem if necessary.

I’m guessing (it’s just speculation) that post-conversion Saul still carried some of that cockiness.  So from the gate maybe the Lord determined to cut Saul down a bit—because he, not Saul, was to be glorified.  Only by suffering weakness, would Saul learn the Lord’s power (2 Corinthians 12:10).

It’s a lesson we all have to learn.  And I’m thinking it’s life-long, at least for me.  Oh, I’ve learned to humbly rely on the Lord.  But not enough to graduate.  How about you?

Lightning Strike

February 9, 2016 /

P.Allan“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.  Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many of the believers in Jerusalem to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.   Many times I had them whipped in the synagogues to try to get them to curse Christ. I was so violently opposed to them that I even hounded them in distant cities of foreign lands” (Acts 26:9-11).

That’s Paul’s confession about his opposition to Christian Jews.  He was known then as Saul (“Paul” his Roman name).  He was perhaps the fiercest zealot in the great persecution that erupted against the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:2)—“Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3).  Like a rampaging wild beast, he roamed the city  hunting Jews who believed in Jesus as  Messiah.  How many suffered and died at his hand no one knows.  He believed he was defending the sanctity of Israel’s God.

How ironic, then, today’s text!

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.  The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.  In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”  “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.  And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”  But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”  Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord– Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here– has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,  and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

Saul was born about 5 A.D. in Tarsus (a city in today’s Turkey) to Jewish parents who possessed coveted Roman citizenship.  Apparently about 10 A.D. the family moved to Jerusalem where 10 to 15 years later Saul began his Hebrew Scriptures and Law study under the famous Rabbi Gamaliel.

Now, perhaps in his mid-30’s, the zealous rabbi-to-be, is not content to “purify” Judaism in Jerusalem.  He seeks authorization from  the high priest Caiaphas to arrest any wayward Jews in Damascus synagogues.  Midday he and his fellow-travelers (perhaps a few Jewish guards and others making the 140-mile trip from Jerusalem to Damascus, Syria—travelers journeyed together for safety) are nearing the city.  Descending Mount Hermon to the plain on which Damascus lay (an area known for lightning storms), a blinding bolt struck.  Whether it was God-timed lightning or a phenomenon directly from God matters little.

Saul falls to the ground, hears a voice identifying himself as Jesus, who orders him to enter the city.  There he’ll be given his next command.  Saul, unseeing, stumbles to his feet.  The feared persecutor has to be led by the hand like a child.

In another, calmer vision, the Lord appears to Ananias and sends him to Judas’ house on Straight street to a man called Saul.  Ananias is told Saul himself has seen a vision of Ananias praying that he might see again.  Saul’s reputation worries Ananias.  But  the Lord explains:  “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  Ananias obeys.  Subsequently,  Saul is healed, filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized.

What can we take away from this spectacular conversion?

First, God has a sense of humor.  Whom does he choose to take the Gospel to the Gentiles?  Jesus’ raging enemy!  And he starts the training process by plunging Saul into physical darkness with the glory of his Son, a physical darkness akin to the spiritual darkness in which Saul lived.

Second, God revealed himself in visions.  He primarily reveals himself to us today in his written Word.  But have you read missionary reports?  One can hardly read any without seeing how the Lord revealed himself to someone in a vision.  God’s “hands” aren’t tied by “closed countries” or our failed efforts to reach a people for himself.

There are other take-aways, but I think this is the weightiest:  No one is beyond the Lord’s saving mercy.  The last person anyone thought would be converted was Saul.  That’s why the Christians had trouble trusting him (Acts 9:21).  The disciples especially didn’t believe it (Acts 9:26).

I shouldn’t assume that, because you’re reading this, you’re a believer in Jesus.  And, if you’re not, maybe you’re sure your past is too messed up for him to welcome you.  It’s not.  If he could save the murderer Saul, he can give you a new, eternal life.  Just admit your sin and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Finally, since no one is beyond the Lord’s saving mercy, that person you’re praying for isn’t either.  We can be encouraged by the Lord converting Saul, that he can convert the most disinterested, hardened disbeliever.

“The voice of the LORD (still) strikes with flashes of lightning” (Psalm 29:7).

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