Acts, Chapter 17

I watched the The Matrix Reloaded last night, a fascinating movie that has many allusions to Christianity. During a key scene, there is a debate about the nature of cause and effect. In today's reading of Acts chapter 17 we see that cause and effect played out in three different ways as Paul takes the message to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. Paul's message of the gospel bore fruit as there were some that believed in each place, but the most prominent reactions that he received were vastly different.

5But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus." 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. – Acts 17:5-8

This is obviously a bad reaction, as the entire city is thrown into chaos because of their teaching. I find it funny here also that the Jews of Thessalonica were more concerned with following Caesar, an earthly king, than they were with following the will of God. Throughout the entire Bible, there are countless examples of the Jews losing faith and following earthly signs rather than the will of the God that had chosen them as His people. For every act of faith it seems there is an act of unfaith, and this is yet another one.

13When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. – Acts 17:13

The verses before this indicate that more people believed the message at Berea, but I find it interesting that the Jews from Thessalonica were so hellbent on causing trouble that they followed Paul and his menagerie to Berea to cause more trouble. We see that the Bereans themselves were more relaxed and accepted of differing viewpoints, but the people from Thessalonica remind me of the people who give Christians a bad name by traveling all over the country to force their views and opinions on people. That's not what the message is about! I don't expect you to agree with everything I say, as my views are my views. I simply put the Word out there as I interpret it and allow the Holy Spirit to work from there.

22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. – Acts 17:22-25

From the Athenians we see yet a third reaction, as there is little unrest, but at least thought is given to Paul's viewpoints. This is all that is all I ask when I present the case for Christ here, as thoughtful discussion is my minimum goal. I am sure that Paul found it a welcome relief that people were willing to let him speak and simply listen instead of stir trouble up against him. Instead of forcing their own views on Paul, they came to him with an open mind and were willing to listen. This is an attitude we can all learn from.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Why did the Jews show such a lack of faith in their God?
   
2. Why are some people more intent on forcing their views on people than just listening?
   
3. How does the Holy Spirit work to change minds?
   

Acts, Chapter 16

On the surface chapter 16 of Acts appears to be very dry. It looks like yet another chapter where the author says, "They went here and did this. They went there and that." I admit that at times it is hard to separate myself from thinking it is merely a story and is instead an account of the works of God. In my studies of the last few chapters, however, I have discovered something vitally important. This is very subtle, but if you look back to the four gospels preceding Acts it becomes clearer.

If you look at the accounts of the apostles throughout Acts, especially Paul, and you look at the accounts of Jesus from the gospels you will see many parallels to the miracles they each performed. In today's chapter alone, Paul sees a vision in a dream, miraculously breaks out of prison miraculously (our third prison break in Acts), oversees the conversion of a Roman guard, casts out a demon, and receives a flogging. The difference comes in their reactions to such miracles. When Jesus performed a miracle, He always did so with a purpose in mind. There was a lesson inside the miracle other than the miracle itself, and obviously He could have performed more if he so chose. Paul and the other apostles are always quick to deflect the glory to Christ and the Holy Spirit for their works because they knew their power was not a result of their own works.

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

Notice how Paul invoked the power of Jesus rather than taking credit for himself here. He was very cognizant of not giving the impression that he was a divine figure. Let's be honest, if you saw this guy going around performing miracles like this you would think he was god-like in his power. Instead of taking personal credit though, Paul deflected the glory to God where it belonged. This is an attitude that we must effect in our daily lives. It is a posture of humility that we must take, realizing that our strength lies not in ourselves, but in Christ.

29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. – Acts 16:29-33

It's amazing how simple the entire message can be put. Here we see Paul sum up the entire point of human existence in one single question and answer exchange. What must we do to be saved? Well, there is only one thing we can do to be saved. We must believe in the Lord Jesus. That's it! There is nothing else that we can do on our own, just like there was nothing else Paul could do in his own power to perform these miracles. As always, Paul deflects to Jesus, in whom he found the source of his strength. What was the source of his miracles? Jesus. What was the only thing Paul could do to be saved? Believe in Jesus. What is the whole point of human existence? Jesus. We see throughout Acts that Paul just continuously pounds this message wherever he went. As a result, many people were saved and the church grew.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Why was Paul given the power to perform miracles?
   
2. How did Paul gain the strength to endure the beatings and persecution he faced?
   
3. What was the importance of the jailer's family being baptized?
   

Acts, Chapter 15

By the time we get to chapter 15 of acts we have come a long way in one book alone. Remember how well everyone in the church got along in the first few chapters of Acts just after the Holy Spirit was given to them? Well, the church to this point had ballooned so much that disagreements about doctrine were beginning to come out of the woodwork. Chapter 15 is one full of discord and we see that many of the elders were starting to spend time putting out fires and settling egos, yet the gospel still moved forward.

The first major disagreement came over circumcision. If you study the Old Testament any circumcision was a big deal. It goes all the way back to the book of Genesis as a tradition for the Jewish people. In Genesis 17:11 God sets circumcision up as a sign of the covenant between Abraham and Himself. The covenant was that Abraham would be the father of many nations, and every male in his household was asked to be circumcised as a part of the covenant. Not only that, it was to be handed down through the generations as a sign of this agreement. If you weren't circumcised, you weren't part of this covenant.

As we know though, Jesus had a tendency to break old traditions down so He could set up new ones. Though the covenant of circumcision was about more than a flap of skin, Jesus established that He was the new covenant with the sons of Abraham. Just as he broke down the barriers of the old law to include the Gentiles, He breaks down the barriers here for the sake of spreading His gospel. Paul got this because he was already doing the work of Christ by spreading the Word to the Gentiles. Some Jewish believers did not agree, however.

1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." – Acts 15:1-5

 

Notice some of the errors here in the first part of this passage. It is clearly stated that it was men, not God, that said you could not be saved without being circumcised. Paul was naturally a little skeptical about this, as he knew that belief was a matter of the heart and not about a physical act. We see that he takes this question back to Jerusalem where a great debate raged. The debate is understandable, especially when Genesis 17 says that those who are not circumcised are cut off from the covenant of Abraham. This is where Peter becomes the voice of reason.

 

8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." – Acts 15:8-11

 

This shows the power of God and how the message and the heart is more important than even the most sacred of Jewish traditions handed down through the centuries. Peter is saying that it doesn't matter if you are circumcised or uncircumcised because of what is on your heart. No one was able to save themselves before Christ regardless of circumcision because salvation is found in Christ. We cannot bear that yoke on our own. The uncircumcised Gentiles believed this as well, and therefore they were saved. The message is that salvation is in Christ alone, not some physical work.

 

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

 

1. Does the covenant of circumcision still have meaning today?
   
2. How well did the church handle this first test of its doctrine?
   
3. Why would something as mundane as this cause such a stir?

Acts, Chapter 14

The entire book of Acts is filled with miracle, after miracle, after miracle. It seems like an old message at this point reiterating that God accomplished so much in the face of opposition that He left no doubt about the church in the minds of believers, but we are shown that again here in chapter 14. It is safe to assume that this theme plays out through most of the rest of the book of Acts, but it is no less amazing because chapter 14 marks the midway point through the book, yet the miracles and wonders keep coming.

Personally, I marvel at the conviction of Paul and Barnabas for continuing to preach even when chased away from one city. Keep in mind that this is still the first century. They couldn't hop a flight from city to city. They could only go as fast as their legs could carry them, and if enough people were behind them making them flee their ministry could have faltered. Still, as we see in the beginning here great numbers of people believed. If they can continue to preach under these conditions I can continue to spread the news to anyone who accesses this page by spending a few minutes on a computer each day. Just imagine what someone like Paul could accomplish today with the internet!

11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" 12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. – Acts 14:11-13

This is an interesting passage because it is one of the first times we get an insight into what other cultures thought of Barnabas and Paul. Up to this point we have seen them preaching in areas that had Jewish or Roman roots. Now they were in an area that was almost exclusively Gentile, and obviously not rooted in Jewish culture. Why wouldn't they think they were Gods based on what they were doing right before them? Of course they appeared to be miraculous beings because the power of the Holy Spirit working through them would appear to be almost magical and certainly divine to someone who had no idea of what the Holy Spirit was.

15"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. 16In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." 18Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. – Acts 14:15-18

I find this verse slightly troubling because of the promises of God, and I admit that I must accede to the fact that His ways are not our ways. It is troubling because, if God is willing that none should perish, why would He let some nations go their own way until this point? We had had several thousand years of human history before this point, so what about all those people that lived before the good news, or those that the good news was unable to reach until centuries later? It is wonderful that God began to reach out to all people and that Paul was preaching to all people regardless of their background, but why did God wait until now? Once again Paul and Barnabas faced adversity as some Jews won the crowd over and Paul was stoned, but the message had been passed. As they were forced to leave they still met with success in Derbe, proving once again that the Word of God will always bear fruit wherever it is preached.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Why would God's Word be effective in one city (like Derbe) but not in another (like Lystra)?
   
2. How did this set the stage for the future spreading of the gospel?
   
3. Why would God let all nations go their own way in the past?

Acts, Chapter 13

Has there ever been a time in your life when you have wondered what you're supposed to do next? Have you ever wanted God to simply tap you on the shoulder and say, "Go (here) and do (this)"? In times of confusion many people feel this way. Since I am currently in one of those times I find myself wishing I were Paul and Barnabas who are so clearly told where to go and what to do here at the beginning of chapter 13.

Unfortunately for us, God does not always work in such dramatic ways, but we can still learn from the example that Paul and Barnabas set forth here. Sometimes we are simply called to a place in our lives where we don't know the true reasons why we are doing what we are doing. Right now I am answering phones at a temp job that I hate, but I know this is where God wants me at the moment, perhaps to learn some humility. Paul and Barnabas didn't know for sure what they were getting into when God called them to Cyprus. Still, they preached the word of God, knowing that they must do at least that and they accomplished many great things.

23"From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25As 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.' – Acts 13:23-25

Once again we must take some historical context when looking at the above verses. Since Paul and Barnabas were preaching primarily to Jews here, they had to break down conventions in order to truly raise Jesus up. The Jews believed King David was the highest ruler the Jews had ever known, so they properly linked Jesus to him as a descendent. They then raised him higher by quoting John the Baptist, who was the epitome of being a servant.

27The 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. 28Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and 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. – Acts 13:27-31

Once again, God uses man's misguided attempts to fulfill His work. Even in the killing of Jesus, they fulfilled prophecy that proved He was exactly who He said He was. They even put Him higher than David by reminding them that David died, yet Christ continues to live. Naturally, the Jews were not happy about this because they were being called out and asked to admit they were wrong. Who wants to readily admit this? Instead of facing this though, they stuck to their stubborn humanity and continued to speak out against Paul and Barnabas. Once again, however, God uses these mistakes for the good of all.

46Then 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. 47For 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. 48When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. '" – Acts 13:46-48

Basically Paul and Barnabas finally said, "If you won't listen we'll find someone who will." This is further proof that the gospel cannot be stopped. It will always find a heart to change even when people reject the message. They were expelled from the region and the persecution of the early church continued, but Paul and Barnabas were not dissuaded from the message. There is even a lesson inside the lesson here, and a validation of the message because it could not be stopped even when man tried to stop it.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How important was the life of David in validating the life of Jesus?
   
2. Why did Christ have to be rejected by His own people in order to fulfill prophesy?
   
3. Was it necessary for the jews to reject the message in order to take it to the Gentiles?

Acts, Chapter 12

The book of Acts is such a wonderful book because of the dramatic ways that Christ continued to push the early church. There is little doubt that the early church would not have succeeded if not for the dramatic, divine intervention of Christ and His angels. Already we have seen the Holy Spirit come upon thousands, a prison break, selfish people being struck dead for holding back from God, the first martyr for the cause, a miraculous conversion of one of the church's most virulent haters, and miraculous visions. Through all this the church continued to grow in the face of great persecution. Whatever man threw at the church God overcame. All of this was caused by the relatively simple message that Christ died for the sins of the world, and if we believe in Him and the resurrection, asking for forgiveness, we are forgiven of our sins and will have eternal life.

When you think of it in those terms it is so simple, yet also kind of wacky. It really is a leap of faith, and rationally sounds like a fairy tale. If it were merely a fairy tale would it have lasted through 20 centuries and been the most influential "myth" in history though? Part of the reason it lasted was because of the work of Peter, whom in chapter 12 is once again delivered supernaturally. It seems like this is old hat for him, as early on we see another martyr to the cause with James' execution and we also find Peter back in prison for preaching the gospel.

6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. – Acts 12:6-9

Sixteen soldiers were guarding him and he just walked out of prison like he owned the place. The amazing thing is that this was just a minor use of God's power. Peter himself was unaware it was actually happening until the angel left him outside of the prison. This is the same Peter who once denied Christ three times in one night, yet now has little reason to ever be stopped by the ways of man. When you take this small miracle into account, is there any wonder why the attempts to stomp out the early church failed?

13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" 15"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. – Acts 12:13-17

This is another small incident, but it illustrates the power of unbelief. The church had been praying for Peter to be delivered, yet when he actually was returned to them they thought it was just his angel. They couldn't believe that it had actually happened even though someone was standing there telling them Peter was at the front door. This is an obvious reference to Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says that he knocks on everyone's door, and anyone who answers the door he will come in and eat with them. Much like Peter knocking on the door of the disciples, Christ knocks on the door to everyone's heart. It is up to us to answer the door and believe in Him, or to simply say that no one is really there. Also much like Peter, He will continue to knock instead of going away.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Is the story of Christ real to you, or merely a fairy tale to believe in?
   
2. Why would God choose to supernaturally deliver Peter from persecution, yet allow James to be martyred?
   
3. How do you/did you feel Christ first knocking on the door to your heart?

Acts, Chapter 11

God is bigger than all of our faults and judgments. I am reminded of that today in the face of tragedy. My wife is a University of Miami alum and is also a big fan of the football team down there. Yesterday one of the former players from her time there, a guy she actually knew, was shot in his home as part of a robbery. This morning, sadly, he passed away because of his wounds. He was only 24 years old and had faced a lot of adversity in recent years for a few on and off the field incidents. Still, according to comments made by his father, he had come to know Christ since the birth of his daughter a little more than a year ago. Even though Sean had been involved in a few incidents of poor judgment, God still loved him, just as God loved the Gentiles with whom Peter met with in chapter 10.

1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." – Acts 11:1-3

This is where our own human misjudgment can get in the way of the work God wants to do. The apostles could not get past their own biases and tradition when they heard Peter had visited with uncircumcised Gentiles. In their culture it was considered unclean to associate with such individuals, yet Peter knew better because he was asked by God to do what he did. This relates to my earlier point about Mr. Sean Taylor because many people have criticized him for what he did in the past, yet if he truly knew Christ as his father tearfully indicated on the news this morning then he is with Him today in paradise. It is further proof that we are not judged by what we have done in the past, but as these Gentiles experienced with Peter, it is what we do when we are presented with the message and overcome by the Holy Spirit. Once that happens we cannot be judged for anything because God is bigger than all of us.

15"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with
water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17So 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?" – Acts 11:15-17

Peter's words here in verse 17 are so powerful. "Who was I to think that I could oppose God?" Who are we to think that God cannot forgive a man that is repentant for mistakes he has made, yet others still hold those against him and remember him for those mistakes (as some do in Sean Taylor's case)? Who were the apostles to think that God can overlook what they considered was unclean so that the message of the Gospel could be spread to the Gentiles? God is all powerful to overcome, and I love how He illustrates His mercy here to overcome our own preconceived notions.

19Now 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. 20Some 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. 21The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. – Acts 11:19-21

The final point that I wanted to make with this short chapter is one I have made several times before in this blog. God can use anything, even mistakes, to glorify His name. Here God uses the persecution of the early church to simply spread the message further to places it otherwise would not have reached. Since those that were not circumcised now were beginning to believe Peter's vision also miraculously opened a new door for the gospel to be spread through. The good news of the gospel will always bear fruit wherever it is spread, and it is my prayer this morning that even in the face of tragedy, God's name will be glorified.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What was the big deal about preaching and associating with those that were uncircumcised?
   
2. How are you opposing God today with something you believe in?
   
3. How can God turn a trouble in your life into something that can glorify His name?