All posts by Luella Campbell

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ASLEEP IN CHURCH – 50

Bible Study, ,

“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Well, that was an unexpected interlude! Paul, as usual, made use of every opportunity to teach the believers, to encourage them and strengthen their faith. It didn’t matter to him whether it was day or night.

The church at Troas had gathered in an upstairs room for a meeting in the evening, not knowing that this special time with Paul would be an all-night event and would include a heart-stopping miracle in the mix. 

On and on went Paul’s teaching session, hour after hour until midnight. Some were so intrigued by his words that they listened with eager intent. One young man, sitting on a windowsill, probably mesmerised by the flickering lamps, grew so drowsy as Paul droned on that he nodded off and fell fast asleep. Unfortunately for him, his perch on the window sill offered no comfort or protection. He not only dropped off to sleep…he also dropped off his seat in the window and fell…three storeys down to be exact…onto the hard ground below. 

Pandemonium broke out. The people rushed downstairs, led by Paul. He threw himself on the lifeless body of Eutychus, calling on the name of the Lord. Then the miracle happened! Eutychus opened his eyes. He spoke. “What happened? Where am I?” He looked around, dazed and puzzled. 

The people cheered. They laughed and cried. They celebrated and rejoiced. They went back upstairs, more convinced than ever that Jesus was alive and real among them. They feasted together and listened to Paul again until daylight. Paul continued where he had left off. No one wanted to go home. 

What a night it had been! Never would the people of Troas forget this night when Jesus came in power to save the life of a young man who had fallen asleep in church!

This was such an amazing story that Luke just had to include it in his narrative about the church. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…ON TO TROAS – 49

Bible Study, ,

“When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece …But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One almost begins to feel weary at the thought of Paul’s travels under such difficult circumstances. After all, it took days and weeks for him to travel the distances we can travel in a few hours. If we study the map of Paul’s journeys, we see that this leg took him from Ephesus to Troas in Asia Minor…with many stops on the way. 

“From the city of Ephesus to the port city of Troas was a journey, on foot, of 349km (about 217 miles). In the spring this would have taken about 12 days of hard walking. From Troas, a boat across the Thracian Sea to Neapolis in Macedonia would have only taken 2.5 days to go the 347km (~216 miles) over water.” 

However, this was only a short stop on his way to Jerusalem, thousands of miles away. 

It is obvious, if we trace his travels on the map, that Paul no longer had a fixed address…no permanent home…no family awaiting him…no comfortable bed or familiar food…no friends or neighbours to welcome him home.  His was a life of permanent  travel…on the road…depending on friends and acquaintances for food and a bed. What a way to live! Why did he live this way?

Paul had a calling and a commission…to take the good news of Jesus to the Gentile world. He was not called to a life of home, family, and a nine-to-five job like most of us live. Jesus said, “Go!” and Paul went. He had his eye on a reward far greater than a comfortable life on earth. 

Paul became a recipient of a far greater promise…

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.”

‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In a sense, Paul did have a home, in fact, hundreds of homes scattered across the Roman world, and a far bigger and more loving family than his own blood family…hundreds of believers who owed their new life to his faithful ministry to them at great cost. He claimed family ties far deeper and stronger than a natural family.

He wrote to his Corinthian family…

“I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We cannot all live this way. Some are called to go and others to stay. Some are called to endure hardship and others to enjoy comfort. Will the reward be greater for those who have little in this life…endure hardship, persecution, and suffering? 

The answer is not in “what” but “how” we experience what God gives us in life. He creates our circumstances…but He requires our response. 

“‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’”…

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can become bitter in difficult circumstances. We can complain and rebel. We can become complaisant in a cushy life, forgetting others and enjoying our own comfort. 

Paul’s solution is simple but not easy…

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Did you get that?

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…”

Paul tells us, in the most trying times of his life…

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ NIV

Praise…gladness…thanksgiving…gratitude…in, not for the very things that caused him pain! Why did he rejoice?

“…so that Christ’s power may rest on me.…For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul chose to turn his attention away from himself to Jesus, to the one who provided the strength to overcome. 

So Paul could be homeless, travel many miles on foot… suffer cold, hunger, weariness…even shipwreck, imprisonment, and face death…grateful and faithful because he knew that a great reward awaited him. 

This life, for Paul, was not the reward but the preparation. 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

His attitude was…

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Dear readers, the issue is this. Whether our lives are easy or difficult…cushy or uncomfortable…God rewards faithfulness…what we do with the calling and the resources He has given us. 

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV

Our circumstances are a trust. What we do in them will determine our reward. 

To be continued 

ACTS THE SEQUEL…RIOTING AND CONFUSION – 48

Bible Study, ,

Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen did what they did best. 

“When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!””

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭28‬-‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Well, that did it! Once again, there was a violent clash between light and darkness. Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen had lit the fuse with their rage about their loss of income, and their so-called “concern” for their goddess’ stolen glory… and the powder keg of anti-Jewish sentiment exploded. 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it! This kind of reaction is not new. There are devotees of false religions today who react in exactly the same way. One such religion deliberately advocates this kind of violent behaviour. Hate the Jews! Kill the Jews! Exterminate all who refuse to believe their religious teaching. Kill everyone who converts to Jesus. Take over the world by force! Chant the name of their god as though this will somehow get his response and earn his approval

These radical anti-Jewish activists in Ephesus set up such a commotion that the entire city was in an uproar. 

“The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”

How mindless and foolish people can be! Like sheep, they simply follow the crowd without thinking about their behaviour or its consequences. Kill! Destroy! Ruin! The mindset from hell itself! 

Paul’s reaction was to talk to the crowd but his compatriots knew that this would not work. Reasoning with them was useless when the mob was stirred up by the total loss of reason. 

“Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.”

There was at least one man with authority…who managed to speak sense into this mob of madness. 

“The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭35‬-‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The city clerk cashed in on the reasonable way to handle the situation….

First, the people of the city should understand that Artemis was well able to defend herself…she was from heaven after all. The people of the city were only custodians of her temple. All their rioting and noise was not necessary. She, supposedly, could look after herself. 

“Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.”

Second, the ones they were accusing had done nothing wrong. 

“You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.”

Third, there was a legitimate way to deal with grievances. 

“If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges.”

Fourth, this whole commotion can backfire. You can be charged with rioting…

“As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.”

Reason and good sense prevailed. 

This story is a study in the way to handle and not to handle conflict. We can take a lesson out of the city clerk’s wisdom. 

This brings me to a vital life lesson. As children of God, we all wrestle with the demands of the flesh…our old nature that still intrudes into our actions and reactions. We can either give in and act sinfully or we can respond through the power of God’s grace. 

Grace says,” Don’t retaliate!”

Paul’s counsel is…

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone…Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬, ‭19‬, ‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Retaliation only throws gasoline on the fire.  

Jesus shows us how to respond to injustices. …

“But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If we choose to let offences go without retaliating, as Jesus did when He faced the worst of injustice,  grace will triumph over evil. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…MONEY TALKS – 47

Bible Study, ,

Acts About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Well, that set the cat among the pigeons! There were some in Ephesus who would not take this new situation lying down. Demetrius, the silver smith, was enraged. He and his fellow craftsmen were losing money. He had to take action and quickly to save his bank account. 

He called a meeting of all his fellow craftsmen involved in this lucrative business of making replicas of the famous goddess, Artemis.  This had to stop. What was the best way to discredit Paul and put an end to his attack on their trade? 

Demetrius made no bones about the reason for his disquiet. This was more about money than about the goddess…although he couched his argument in religious talk.  He had to make it sound like he was a faithful devotee of the goddess. 

So, he framed his argument carefully. The worship of Artemis was in jeopardy. Imagine that! How is it possible that a goddess who came from heaven…who was credited with “divine majesty”…who was worshiped throughout Asia and the whole region…whose grand temple was right there in the city, could be robbed of that majesty…could be so easily unseated by the words of a mere man? 

All this, of course, was only a smoke screen to hide Demetrius’ real worry…his business. The people would believe Paul…in fact they had already done so…and the people wouldn’t buy his little Artemises any more. 

There is something that stands out on this whole episode that speaks to me…loud and clear.  Demetrius had a problem. He took it to his fellow craftsmen. He stirred up their anger. He got their cooperation. They took action…and it backfired on them. 

These men were dealing with something far bigger than themselves. They were trying to put out a fire started by the Holy Spirit. No one can take God on and win. Artemis, for all the fancy words about her, had no power to defend herself because she did not exist. Not even the demons who were behind the delusion of Artemis could resist the power of the living God. 

Before we consider what the silver smiths did to try to stop this move of God, let’s think about our own efforts to solve problems. Demetrius’ way did not work. There is a way to live that does work…that smooths out the bumps in our path. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When we trace Paul’s journey through the book of Acts, we see a man who lived by the promises of God’s Word. His life was not trouble-free but…every trial was another lesson on the way…another reason to trust the Lord…and another victory under his belt to prove that God is real, God is faithful, and that faith in Him is the guarantee of the final destination. 

What mattered most in all these situations was that, despite the opposition and the efforts to stop it, the gospel message spread and took root in every corner of the Roman Empire because…God was in it. Jesus said, “I will build my church…”…and He did…and His is…and He always will…until He returns. 

To be continued

ACTS THE SEQUEL…GRACE WON THE DAY – 46

Bible Study, ,

“When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God never wastes anything!! How often we must reach this conclusion when we see how God turns everything to His own advantage. Not only did those seven men, who used the name of Jesus as a magic formula in the hopes that they could get in on the act, get what they deserved, but also the fame of the power of Jesus’ name spread like wildfire across the city of Ephesus snd beyond. Jews and Greeks alike had a new appreciation of who they were dealing with if they trifled with the God about whom  the Apostle Paul spoke.  

The outcome was startling. Light had once again driven out the darkness. New believers became transparent…confessing their evil practices…and even giving up the tools of their trade…the scrolls that had taught them their sorcery. No, doubt, sorcery was a lucrative way of extorting an income for those who used their sorcery for gain. Now they were willing to let it go. 

The name of Jesus had struck fear into the hearts of these new believers. They were dealing with a God who would not tolerate such flagrant disobedience to His Word. The instruction was clear. 

“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The outcome of this exposure was a massive bonfire in the city, of the scrolls that were now redundant for these children of the Most High God. What a testimony to God’s grace and mercy! The penalty for these practices should have been death but, because of their ignorance, God forgave…and the blood of Jesus rescued and cleansed them from their evil ways. 

Ephesus was not only a significant city in the province of Asia…it became equally significant as the centre of new life in the history of the early church. God did extraordinary things in that city. It was as thought He had lit a fire in Ephesus that was visible to the whole province and beyond. From Paul to the Ephesian church came a letter which spells out clearly the grandeur of the Jesus who came to save, and the wonder of the new life He gives to those who believe. Consider these opening statements in this letter….

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Grace! Good pleasure! What would these words have meant to a group of people who had been dabbling with demonic spirits. They had been rescued from the dangers of this association, and catapulted by grace into the glorious freedom from the consequences of their foolishness into the very presence of God Himself? They were now children of God…fully accepted into His family…members of the covenant people of God…heirs of God,  joint heirs with Jesus, and eligible for all the blessings and benefits of that covenant…all because it pleased the Lord to do so. 

This was the gospel. This was grace. This was real power…not demonic power that could only harm and destroy.  This was God at work to reclaim and restore what rightfully belonged to Him. Despite all odds, Paul would continue to declare this message to his last drop of blood and his dying breath…because God has done it all. 

To be continued