Daily Archives: July 16, 2013

All Things To All People

Bible Study, , ,

ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE

“These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were a little quieter. They said, ‘This is a new one on us. We’ve never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway? Explain it so we can understand.’ Downtown Areopagus was a great place for gossip. There were always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest titbit on most anything.

“So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them.’It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, TO THE GOD NOBODY KNOWS. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with.'” Acts 17:19-23 (The Message).

Masterful stroke! We can learn a lot from Paul’s approach to people. His evangelistic style was faultless. He was no Bible-basher; he began where people were.

In a letter to one of the churches he explained his method. ‘I have become all things to all people.’ It would have been useless talking to the intelligentsia in Athens about Abraham or the exodus from Egypt. It would have meant nothing to them. But to begin with their shrines and images was right on target. It was something they understood and were into in their everyday lives.

Paul recognised that they were a religious people. There were shrines and idols everywhere. They meant that they acknowledged the need to worship something or someone greater than themselves. They even realised that out there somewhere was a God they did not know. In their ignorance, they added Him to their collection of man-made deities.

Paul was astute enough to realise that this was the gap he needed to get his message across — his point of contact with them. Since they already honoured this UNKOWN GOD in their way by making an altar to Him, he would fill them in on the details of who He was and what He had done to make contact with them and to reveal Himself to them.

Paul did it in such an inoffensive way that he was able to arouse their interest and not their antagonism. Once the door was open, he had carte blanche to share God’s story, to give them their opportunity to believe it or not to believe it.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where the story of Jesus is relatively well known in many places, but so distorted by the additions of religion or the misrepresentation of those who have embraced the theory but don’t practise it that it no longer looks anything like He intended it to be.

What is our role in spreading His story to the world? We need to shed all the religious baggage the church has gathered over the centuries and get back to who Jesus is and what He called us to do. His invitation remains unchanged and is deceptively simple: ‘Follow me.’

Like Paul, we need to live with our ear close to His heart — learning to listen and obey. If we do that, we will also recognise those ‘light bulb’ moments when the Spirit whispers wisdom into our minds to grab the opportunity that will crack open the hardest heart and shine His light into the darkness.

Occupied Territory

Bible Study, , ,

OCCUPIED TERRITORY

“The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got — all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols.

“He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: ‘What an airhead!’ But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: ‘That’s a new slant on the gods. Tell us more.'” Acts 17:16-18 (The Message).

Angry? Why was Paul angry when he saw the city of Athens dotted with idols? Did it really matter that they used images to decorate their city?

Yes, it did matter to Paul because idols were the evidence of “foreign occupation”. The city of Athens, capital of Greece. was announcing, through the visible symbols of their allegiance, that they were part of the devil’s domain. They were “occupied territory” and subject to his rule. and, therefore, they would not be rescued without a fight.

Unlike the countries that Germany occupied during WW2, the people of Athens, and the rest of the world, accepted Satanic occupation without resistance. You see, they didn’t know any better. Satan exploited their ignorance and their gullibility to entrench himself in their belief system because they knew of no alternative.

It is the devil’s avowed intention to wrest worship from the rightful King of the universe, Jesus. Long before God prepared the earth to be a suitable home for man, He evicted the devil from His domain for rebelling against Him, and banished him to the earth.

“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV).

Why was Paul angry? Was he angry with the Athenians for worshipping idols? No, he was angry with the devil for hoodwinking the people. All they needed to do was to follow the whims of their rebellious hearts and they were suckers for any lying suggestion the devil made to them.

Without supernatural revelation from God, human beings cannot know Him or even conceive of a being like Him. All we can do is create beings in our imagination who are caricatures of human beings, and can never be any greater than we are, and then worship them as though they really exist. And the devil is laughing because he is the inspiration behind our foolishness and gets the glory for it.

Whatever we put our confidence in that is not God is an idol. The tragedy is that we become what we worship. People who put their confidence in money, for example, are most often times greedy, stingy and even dishonest to hold on to what they have and to get more.

God said of His people: “When they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.” Hosea 9:10b (NIV).

People are not only held captive to Satan’s lies but also suspicious of the truth. Some Athenians laughed at Paul and walked away. Others waited around a little longer to listen to him. What does it take to convince a person that God is telling the truth? It takes an honest person and a mighty, supernatural act of God’s Holy Spirit to rescue a deceived soul from the clutches of the devil and transfer him into the realm of God’s truth.

All Out War

Bible Study, , ,

ALL OUT WAR

“But it wasn’t long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, creating a mob scene there too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip — caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy, ‘Come as quickly as you can!'” Acts 17:13-15 (The Message).

What was it with these Jews? Why were they not content to stir up trouble only in their own city? Why did they pursue Paul to other cities as well?

The battle lines were drawn between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light, and each person had to choose on which side he would stand. The unbelieving Jews represented avowed and all-out opposition to the truth for which Paul and his companions were contending. The difference between the two sides was that the Jews were opposing Paul, while Paul was at war with the spiritual forces of darkness which were holding these Jews and all those who refused to believe, in darkness.

What tactic did the devil employ in his attempt to overcome the representatives of the kingdom of God? Kill them! Stir such murderous hatred in those who represented him that they would stop as nothing to get rid of them! It was not enough to confine the battle to their city. Follow them and stir up so much opposition that they would not be welcome anywhere!

What was Paul’s response? Fight back, using their tactics? He knew that the battle was not with the Jews but within himself. How would he react to people who hated him? Would he hate back? Would he become like them, under the influence of the dominion of darkness, bringing dishonour to his Master by behaving like an unbeliever?

Paul was learning to function as a citizen of heaven. Like his Master, Jesus, he did not retaliate. He had a message to deliver and a commission to fulfil. If his message was rejected in one city, he moved on to the next, leaving behind a small but Spirit-energised group of people who would stand as witnesses to the power of Jesus to transform lives.

The vicious persecution of his countrymen got to him. He pleaded with the Lord to intervene (2 Corinthians 12:8-10), but He refused because He had another agenda for His servant. To become like his Master, Paul had to learn to draw strength from Him, not to get out of but to go through the suffering. That was the way of God’s kingdom: to display the nature of Jesus by standing firm in the ways of the Master, no matter what people did to him.

Paul was learning that he did not only have a message to share with the world; he also had to live it out in a hostile and anti-God environment without absorbing or displaying the attitudes of those who were antagonistic towards him.

What about us? How unfortunate that many of us have not grasped this truth. The gospel is much more than a free pass to heaven. It brings with it a mandate to display Jesus in the same way as He put his Father on display by His life and death. This is the real proof that we have embraced and been changed by believing who He is and what he did.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV).

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armour of God so that, when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and, after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 8:12-13 (NIV),

No Pushovers

Bible Study, , ,

NO PUSHOVERS

“At daybreak, the court judges sent officers with the instructions, ‘Release these men.’ The jailer gave Paul the message, ‘The judges sent word that you’re free to go on your way. Congratulations! Go in peace!’

“But Paul wouldn’t budge. He told the officers, ‘They beat us up in public, and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing! And now they want us to get out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight.'” Acts 16:35-37 (The Message).

Hey, Paul! I thought you were supposed to be meek and humble, and take abuse without complaining, like Jesus did.

Why did Paul pull rank on these judges? Should they not have simply left quietly as though nothing had happened; turned the other cheek as Jesus taught His disciples?

Is that really what He taught? Does Jesus want His disciples to be jellyfish, pushovers?

What exactly did Jesus mean when He said, ‘Turn the other cheek’? If someone slapped another person on the right cheek, it was meant as an insult. To slap him on the right cheek, he had to use his left hand which was considered unclean because the left hand was used for toilet purposes. To turn the other cheek meant that he had to slap the other person with his right hand, forcing him to acknowledge that they were equals.

When Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt, they had to unlearn centuries of abuse from their Egyptian masters in a new society where they were free. God built into their constitution and culture a new way of life where He taught them to treat one another with human dignity, recognising that every person was created in the image of God.

God hates oppression of any kind and, in the case of Paul and Silas, the Roman judges differentiated between Romans and Jews. They got the Jewish end of the stick because their oppressors hadn’t taken the trouble to carry out their job properly. Paul wanted the Roman judges to acknowledge their unjust treatment by publicly escorting them from the prison where they had been publicly humiliated by the treatment they had received.

Good for you, Paul! It was a lesson these arrogant Romans would not easily forget. Perhaps they were saving someone else from being treated as they had been treated.

“When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They hurried over and apologised, personally escorting them from the jail, and then asked them if they wouldn’t please leave the city. Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way.” Acts 16:38-40 (The message).

Apparently, although this kind of behaviour was common practice, it was not Roman policy. The judges were using their position of power to abuse Jews whom they despised. If the authorities got to hear about it, they were in big trouble. Mistreating non-Romans was bad enough but mistreating Roman citizens, Jews or no Jews, was serious.

They not only personally escorted Paul and Silas out of jail, they also wanted them out of the city because they were a source of embarrassment to them. Having got the justice they deserved and taught these men a lesson, Paul and Silas reported back to Lydia who was their hostess and must have wondered what had happened to them, encouraged the fledgling believers and then went on their way as requested.

But it was not the last that Philippi had seen of them. There was a baby church to nurture and Paul had no intention of abandoning them, judges or no judges.

Good For You Bereans

Bible Study, ,

GOOD FOR YOU BEREANS

“The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges.

“That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul’s message with enthusiasm, and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, men and women of influence.” Acts 17:8-12 (The Message).

Now that’s what they were supposed to do, check the evidence!

What a contrast between the people of Thessalonica and Berea! For the most part, the citizens of Thessalonica were an unruly mob, egged on by ruthless Jews who stopped at nothing to hinder Paul from doing his work. Refusing to believe his message was no excuse for creating havoc in the city.

Two issues emerge from this passage. Firstly, no one has the right to intrude on another’s God-given gift of choice. God gave man dominion over the earth, including all the creatures but excluding each other. To use any form of force — intimidation, manipulation or domination — to impose one’s will on someone else is a violation of that basic right. It is the exercise of illegitimate authority and is called, in Scripture, witchcraft. Any form of witchcraft is an abomination to God and He will hold the one accountable who practises it.

Why do so many people insist on controlling others? A control freak is an insecure person and covers up his insecurity by forcing others to conform to his whims. The bully and the abuser expose their inner pain by using their superior strength to dominate others. Others manipulate or threaten to get their own way.

A truly secure person, one who knows who he is and has no need to force others to respect him, honours them by accepting their decisions and choices without begging or cajoling. This kind of interaction can only take place between people who have an inner freedom that demands nothing from other people.

The second issue is one that is, sadly, very common in the church. In the main, people are gullible. They tend to believe what they are told without checking the facts. An honourable preacher or teacher will encourage their hearers to go back to the sources. That’s what the Bereans did. There would be far fewer cults and heresies if believers were more like them.

People trust the “authorities” instead of doing their homework. If we are believers, we have the Bible and we have the Holy Spirit, the author of God’s Word. We have no excuse for not checking the facts. The Bible interprets itself. If we want to know the truth and take the trouble to study the Bible, the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to us through the Word.

Let’s allow the lesson of the Bereans to encourage us to be honest and diligent to understand and walk in the truth. David’s prayer can be our prayer, one that God will faithfully answer:

“Teach me your way, O Lord.
And I will walk in your truth.
Give me an undivided heart
That I may fear your name.”
Psalm 86:11