In Acts 20 we see Eutychus fall asleep in a window and plunge to his death, and we hear Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders. Both noteworthy events!
In the account of Eutychus, we get a strong indication of Paul's focus on his message, and we see an interesting establishment of the relationship between miracles and the Word of God. When Eutychus fell, (and died), Paul did not say, "Woah there folks- we better call it a night!" He knew he was leaving and he had things to say. The level of Paul's faith is amazing. It is almost like he walked downsatairs, and in a very businesslike fashion, took care of raising Eutychus, then returned to what he really came for- preaching the Word. I don't mean to minimize the value of the miracle, but when you read the account you can't help but think that, at least in this case, the miracle was not as important as the preaching.
I think that is at least somewhat true today. People want miracles. Quick fixes. God stepping in and doing a John Madden, (BOOM- We'll miss you on Sunday nights, John). Where what they really need is the whole of the Word of God. The only miracle we really need took place on Calvary and in the empty tomb.
Also in Acts 20, Paul delivers his farewell address to the Ephesian elders- people he would have known well and loved dearly. I do not have much to say about this now, as we had good discussion in class, but I will say this- As I come away from this study of the book of Acts, I am more amazed at who Paul was than I have ever been. To be able to stand before those men and say (paraphrased) "You saw how I lived- I was never a burden to you- I told you the truth the best way I could tell it and I did not leave anything out." To be able to stand and speak like that is what we all want. And to do so only requires consistent day-to-day living in which we let every "today" take care of all of the tomorrows. I guess it is the nature of us/we (which is it) temporal humans that we can see and understand that, yet we (or at least I) struggle to do it.
In Acts 21 Paul seriously turns his sights on Jerusalem. The chapter tells the story of his travels through several cities and how he meets up with a number of people who tell him, "DON'T GO TO JERUSALEM!!" And these people are not just acting on emotion. Verse 4 tells of a group of believers who "through the spirit" urged him not to go. Verse 10 tells of the prophet Agabus (there's another baby name!) who demonstrates what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem, and again the people urge him not to go.
So, Paul is getting all of this advice- don't go, don't go, don't go. And it is coming from people who care about him and people who are Godly. What is an Apostle to do with such advice? Well, read verse 13 and 14. (I am not going to put the verses here- sorry. You'll have to grab your bible and read it.)
The thing this makes me think about is my own capacity to give sound advice. I come to the conclusion that I should be very careful and prayerful when I give advice about "serious" things. All of these people who told Paul not to go to Jerusalem were well meaning, and I don't blame them a bit for how they counseled Paul. After all, they cared for him, and having a strong feeling that danger awaited in Jerusalem, they did not want him to come to harm. But the truth of the matter is that in this case, they were advising against the will of God. Like I said- I don't blame them- I would have said the same thing. It just makes me think that I need to be careful when I advise people!
But let's think from Paul's perspective a bit. As we have mentioned, Paul was VERY in touch with God and His will. God had purposed for Paul to get to Rome, and in the coming chapters, we are going to see how He (God) manages to get him (Paul) there (Rome). The threat of danger and eminent suffering was nothing new to Paul. He is probably thinking, at least a little, "What are they gonna do to me that hasn't been done already?" Add to that the fact that Paul is so sold out at this point that he would gladly go to Jerusalem and die there if that is what God has in mind, (verse 13). And, later when we read Philippians we find that Paul considers it a privilege to suffer for the cause of Christ (Phil 1:29)
Later in the chapter, Paul participates in a cleansing ritual in the temple in Jerusalem, and is arrested on, (wait for it.... wait for it...) false charges!! (big surprise). There is an uprising, (big surprise), and Paul's trial sequence begins.
Chapters 22-26 tell the story of the series of trials and changes of venue- all a part of God's work to get Paul to Rome. We will be looking at the highlights of those chapters this coming Sunday, (April 26), and then finish the book off with a look at the "end of the story".
Just keep swimming....
Jon
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More Pasta That Comes From Acts 19...
It seems like a long time since we met. Missing a week makes a bigger difference in my mind that I would have guessed! Anyway, I wanted to "ramp us up" by looking back at where we left off on the Sunday before Easter, and taking a quick peek at some things coming up for this Sunday.
The last thing we talked about was Acts 19: 13-20, where we hear Luke's account of the seven sons of Sceva and their attempts to drive out demons in the name of Paul. They apparently had experienced some success with driving out demons and other magical pursuits. Verse 13 says they "went around driving out evil spirits...". But they were pretty taken with the things that were happening in association with Paul, (things like people being healed by touching one of Paul's handkerchiefs or aprons), and they were now trying to drive out demons "in the name of Jesus who Paul preaches."
I mentioned this in class, but I absolutely LOVE the reaction of the demon. "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
You know, some names are just powerful. Think about it. If Barack Obama gets up in the middle of the night and says to someone in the White House, "I want a large Italian Combo from Quiznos", then you better believe that someone is going to have a large Italian Combo in front of him about as quickly as it can be made to happen. On the other hand, if I got up in the middle of the night and shook Mel and said, "I want a large Italian Combo from Quiznos", I think I would get a response somewhere in the neighborhood of "You know where Quiznos is buddy- knock yourself out." Hmm... what's the difference? Must be that name- that title, "POTUS".
To bring the idea to an even more familiar level... let's say you are sleeping in on a Saturday, (whatever that means for you- 6:00, 7:00, 10:00, whatever.) Through your blissful sleep you hear the phone ring, and in spite of your hopes and prayers otherwise you hear someone, (wife, child, whoever) say, "Its for you!" Now I am not going to make you show hands or anything here, but let's face it- for many of us the first question would be, "Who is it?". And exactly how you feel about getting up and and answering the phone depends on the answer to that question. Come on, you know its true! There are certain names that would get you out of that bed in zero-point-nothin and you would be on the phone sounding all awake and chipper. Then again, there are other names that would do little to even make you open your eyes. Now I am not going to go into any detail about who's name is on which list for me, but I will just say that NONE of you are on the "eyes closed" list.
Names don't get to that "powerful" state unless there is value or truth to back them up. What we have in Acts 19 is another incident where the very name of Jesus, and in this case Paul as well, had authority and truth behind it. Even the evil spirit in the story acknowledged that power of the name of Jesus. (And I am guessing that, in general, evil spirits are not really fans of Jesus- but they still see and understand the authority and truth behind his name.)
The chapter continues in verses 21 through 41 to tell about Paul's plans for the future and about a riot that breaks out in Ephesus. There are a few interesting things about the account of the riot...
Luke used the term "great disturbance" (NIV) to describe what happened, so it seems as though it was no small thing. The people involved in the situation draw an interesting comparison to today, and help us see God's sovereignty.
It all starts with Demetrius- a silversmith who made shrines of Artemis. The bottom line here is that this "one god" stuff being preached by Paul was hurting business! But, just like many people we see today, Demetrius tried to make it out to be all about the integrity of the great goddess, Artemis! Look at verse 27- "There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself.... will be robbed of her divine majesty." Nothing like appealing to a basic issue of integrity for the purpose advancing your own agenda, right? Nice try Demetrius, but I don't think for a minute that you really give a rip about Artemis. You're worried that you might need a government bail-out if this "one god" talk continues. Hmm... sound like anything that happens now? People going on and on about this issue or that issue in order to advance their own agenda? Some things never change!
Anyway, Demetrius stirs things up enough to start a riot and the crowd works its way to the theater where Paul has been teaching. Here is where I think we see God's sovereignty. Paul's friends see that there is no use in Paul addressing the crowd, so they intervene. We see Alexander, a local Jewish official try to step forward, but he is shouted down by the crowd. Alexander would likely agreed with Paul that there is one God, but the crowd did not want to hear that. Then comes the city clerk. The city clerk appears as a voice of reason, saying that "these men" (Paul and his companions), have done nothing wrong. They have not broken the law, they have not blasphemed Artemis, they have done nothing. The crowd dispersed, went their way, and Paul and crew live to continue their work.
Here is what I find interesting- in this matter, when the crowd was angry enough to kill, God intervened and used a person who wasn't even "on God's side" to defuse the situation. Think about it- This city clerk... was he a believer? No. Was he really even trying to defend Paul or the cause of Jesus Christ? No. But God used him in this instance to His (God's) purpose. Now some may say that God is nothing but a big manipulator- He just uses people like pawns in His big game. I guess that is one way to look at it. But for me, it goes back to the power of the name. God is sovereign. He created all things. There is no purpose greater than His. To become indignant at God's working in the world is to somehow think that our "rights" and our "purposes" have an equal or greater standing than His. They don't. They just don't. There is no other way about it. God's purpose always has and always will "survive".
I find that thought reassuring.
Coming Up...
We really have got to bring this study of Acts to an end. I have enjoyed it, and I apologize if I have dragged it out, but it is time to bring it down to a close. This week we will take a look at some of the highlights from Acts 20 and 21. If you get a chance you might read through those chapters to re-familiarize yourself with the material there, and we will try to move along in these next few weeks.
Just keep swimming.....
Jon
The last thing we talked about was Acts 19: 13-20, where we hear Luke's account of the seven sons of Sceva and their attempts to drive out demons in the name of Paul. They apparently had experienced some success with driving out demons and other magical pursuits. Verse 13 says they "went around driving out evil spirits...". But they were pretty taken with the things that were happening in association with Paul, (things like people being healed by touching one of Paul's handkerchiefs or aprons), and they were now trying to drive out demons "in the name of Jesus who Paul preaches."
I mentioned this in class, but I absolutely LOVE the reaction of the demon. "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
You know, some names are just powerful. Think about it. If Barack Obama gets up in the middle of the night and says to someone in the White House, "I want a large Italian Combo from Quiznos", then you better believe that someone is going to have a large Italian Combo in front of him about as quickly as it can be made to happen. On the other hand, if I got up in the middle of the night and shook Mel and said, "I want a large Italian Combo from Quiznos", I think I would get a response somewhere in the neighborhood of "You know where Quiznos is buddy- knock yourself out." Hmm... what's the difference? Must be that name- that title, "POTUS".
To bring the idea to an even more familiar level... let's say you are sleeping in on a Saturday, (whatever that means for you- 6:00, 7:00, 10:00, whatever.) Through your blissful sleep you hear the phone ring, and in spite of your hopes and prayers otherwise you hear someone, (wife, child, whoever) say, "Its for you!" Now I am not going to make you show hands or anything here, but let's face it- for many of us the first question would be, "Who is it?". And exactly how you feel about getting up and and answering the phone depends on the answer to that question. Come on, you know its true! There are certain names that would get you out of that bed in zero-point-nothin and you would be on the phone sounding all awake and chipper. Then again, there are other names that would do little to even make you open your eyes. Now I am not going to go into any detail about who's name is on which list for me, but I will just say that NONE of you are on the "eyes closed" list.
Names don't get to that "powerful" state unless there is value or truth to back them up. What we have in Acts 19 is another incident where the very name of Jesus, and in this case Paul as well, had authority and truth behind it. Even the evil spirit in the story acknowledged that power of the name of Jesus. (And I am guessing that, in general, evil spirits are not really fans of Jesus- but they still see and understand the authority and truth behind his name.)
The chapter continues in verses 21 through 41 to tell about Paul's plans for the future and about a riot that breaks out in Ephesus. There are a few interesting things about the account of the riot...
Luke used the term "great disturbance" (NIV) to describe what happened, so it seems as though it was no small thing. The people involved in the situation draw an interesting comparison to today, and help us see God's sovereignty.
It all starts with Demetrius- a silversmith who made shrines of Artemis. The bottom line here is that this "one god" stuff being preached by Paul was hurting business! But, just like many people we see today, Demetrius tried to make it out to be all about the integrity of the great goddess, Artemis! Look at verse 27- "There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself.... will be robbed of her divine majesty." Nothing like appealing to a basic issue of integrity for the purpose advancing your own agenda, right? Nice try Demetrius, but I don't think for a minute that you really give a rip about Artemis. You're worried that you might need a government bail-out if this "one god" talk continues. Hmm... sound like anything that happens now? People going on and on about this issue or that issue in order to advance their own agenda? Some things never change!
Anyway, Demetrius stirs things up enough to start a riot and the crowd works its way to the theater where Paul has been teaching. Here is where I think we see God's sovereignty. Paul's friends see that there is no use in Paul addressing the crowd, so they intervene. We see Alexander, a local Jewish official try to step forward, but he is shouted down by the crowd. Alexander would likely agreed with Paul that there is one God, but the crowd did not want to hear that. Then comes the city clerk. The city clerk appears as a voice of reason, saying that "these men" (Paul and his companions), have done nothing wrong. They have not broken the law, they have not blasphemed Artemis, they have done nothing. The crowd dispersed, went their way, and Paul and crew live to continue their work.
Here is what I find interesting- in this matter, when the crowd was angry enough to kill, God intervened and used a person who wasn't even "on God's side" to defuse the situation. Think about it- This city clerk... was he a believer? No. Was he really even trying to defend Paul or the cause of Jesus Christ? No. But God used him in this instance to His (God's) purpose. Now some may say that God is nothing but a big manipulator- He just uses people like pawns in His big game. I guess that is one way to look at it. But for me, it goes back to the power of the name. God is sovereign. He created all things. There is no purpose greater than His. To become indignant at God's working in the world is to somehow think that our "rights" and our "purposes" have an equal or greater standing than His. They don't. They just don't. There is no other way about it. God's purpose always has and always will "survive".
I find that thought reassuring.
Coming Up...
We really have got to bring this study of Acts to an end. I have enjoyed it, and I apologize if I have dragged it out, but it is time to bring it down to a close. This week we will take a look at some of the highlights from Acts 20 and 21. If you get a chance you might read through those chapters to re-familiarize yourself with the material there, and we will try to move along in these next few weeks.
Just keep swimming.....
Jon
Monday, April 13, 2009
I Always Make Too Much Pasta!!
You know how it is... you are fixing spaghetti - or any other kind of pasta - for your family or friends and you throw some pasta in the boiling water. Then you stand there and stare... and you think..."No way. No way that is enough for everyone." So you throw in about double the pasta and off you go. Then, after 8-10 minutes of a good boil, you remove from heat, drain, look at the strainer and say, "Geez- I've got enough pasta for an army!" You would think that after a time or two you would figure it out. But no!! At least, not me. I still make too much pasta every time.
I find, and have always found, that preparing for Sunday School is much the same. I work to prepare a lesson - get to the "end" of my preparation - and think, "No way- no way this is enough to make a good class session." And invariably, I have way too much. Thus the blog, "Too Much Pasta" is born.
Most of you have been receiving the weekly emails we send which have always included a summary of where we have been and where we are going in our studies. I thought it might be fun to try something new. Each week, at least once a week, I will post an entry on the blog with summaries, previews, and other thoughts about our studies and topics. We will also include the prayer requests, event information, and breakfast line-up. The beauty of a blog is the ability to comment and share. One of the most valuable things about living together as Christians is the way we can "spur each other on..." As we launch this endeavor, I welcome comments and discussion of all kinds- questions, opinions, supplemental thoughts, words of encouragement for one another... I see rather vast potential.
I tell you again that I am honored to be the teacher of this class. It is a privilege for me to have the opportunity to explore the scriptures with such a sharp group of people. I am always open to your comments and suggestions and I want nothing more than for God to be glorified by what we do in and outside of our class.
"Just keep swimming..."
Jon
I find, and have always found, that preparing for Sunday School is much the same. I work to prepare a lesson - get to the "end" of my preparation - and think, "No way- no way this is enough to make a good class session." And invariably, I have way too much. Thus the blog, "Too Much Pasta" is born.
Most of you have been receiving the weekly emails we send which have always included a summary of where we have been and where we are going in our studies. I thought it might be fun to try something new. Each week, at least once a week, I will post an entry on the blog with summaries, previews, and other thoughts about our studies and topics. We will also include the prayer requests, event information, and breakfast line-up. The beauty of a blog is the ability to comment and share. One of the most valuable things about living together as Christians is the way we can "spur each other on..." As we launch this endeavor, I welcome comments and discussion of all kinds- questions, opinions, supplemental thoughts, words of encouragement for one another... I see rather vast potential.
I tell you again that I am honored to be the teacher of this class. It is a privilege for me to have the opportunity to explore the scriptures with such a sharp group of people. I am always open to your comments and suggestions and I want nothing more than for God to be glorified by what we do in and outside of our class.
"Just keep swimming..."
Jon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)