Tag Archives: Paul

A Walking Miracle

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A WALKING MIRACLE!

“They went on ahead and waited for us in Troas. Meanwhile we stayed in Philippi for Passover Week and then set sail. Within five days we were again in Troas and stayed a week.

“We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.” Acts 20:5-9 (The Message).

This is such a human story! A long-winded preacher and someone falls asleep! Fortunately, not everyone who sleeps in church ends up dead!

Did Paul have a premonition that he was meeting with the church at Troas for the last time? He had so much to share with them that he forgot the time, although the plan was to leave early in the morning. Instead of having an early night, he met with the believers in an upper room, shared the Lord’s Supper with them and poured out the passion of his heart hour after hour.

While most of the congregation stayed awake, there was one who just could not keep his eyes open. Sitting on an upstairs windowsill was a precarious enough perch, but sleeping there was Eutychus’ undoing. One moment he was there and the next he was gone, lying dead on the ground below. Imagine the panic when the crowd tumbled downstairs and someone picked up his lifeless body. What a terrible end to a wonderful day!

“Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard ‘No more crying,’ he said. ‘There’s life in him yet.’ Then Paul got up, and served the Master’s Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left — Paul went one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.” Acts 20:10-12 (The Message).

Did Paul remember the story of Elisha and a widow’s dead son? What he did next was so matter-of-fact that it seems as though, for Paul, it was all in a day’s (or night’s) work. Eutychus dead? No problem. Just lie on him for a few moments and he’ll live, and that’s exactly what happened. Not even an unexpected death in the congregation made him miss a beat.

How is that for a steadfast purpose! Nothing deviated Paul from his intention to make and build disciples at every opportunity he had, and he would not allow even a tragic accident to distract him from his mission. It almost seems as though he treated the event as an interruption which he had no problem dealing with so that he could get on with his task.

What did it mean to the small group believers at Troas? What would they remember of Paul’s last visit with them? The hours of preaching and teaching that night? Not likely. The miracle of a dead boy raised to life? O yes! What Paul was sharing with them was a vital part of their understanding of the life they had committed themselves to living with the Lord, but the walking miracle among them was a constant reminder that Jesus was alive, real and powerful for them and in them.

Was the devil in this? Most definitely, because he holds the power of death, but he never has the last word. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and through His victory over death, Eutychus woke up to live out his allotted time. His tragic death turned out to be a visual aid of God’s power among them which they would not easily forget. .

Murderous Envy

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MURDEROUS ENVY

“When things were back to normal, Paul called the disciples together and encouraged them to keep up the good work in Ephesus. Then, saying his goodbyes, he left for Macedonia. Travelling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.

“Then he came to Greece and stayed on for three months. Just as he was about to sail for Syria, the Jews cooked up a plot against him. So he went the other way, by land back through Macedonia, and gave them the slip. His companions for the journey were Sopater, son of Phyrrus, from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both Thessalonians; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and two from western Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.” Acts 20:1-4 (The Message).

Paul was a tireless and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus. He had been given a commission to take the gospel to the Roman Empire and he did it as best and as thoroughly as he knew how, not only evangelising but also building up the followers of Jesus in the faith and encouraging them to stay on the path in the midst of persecution from many different quarters.

As we have seen through the pages of Acts, Paul was constantly the object of abuse and very often in danger of being killed by fanatical Jews and over-zealous pagans. Nothing would deter him. On his way back to Syria, via the churches in Greece where he spent three months instructing and encouraging them, he got to hear of a Jewish assassination plot and managed to slip through their fingers.

Although he had many travelling companions, faithful men who accompanied him and helped him with his load of responsibility, it was he who was the wanted man. There was a price on his head, and he had to be on the alert constantly to keep from inadvertently falling into hostile hands. It reminds us of David who got under King Saul’s skin just as Paul provoked the religious Jews to murderous envy. .

What is it that drives one human being to hate the goodness or success of another so much that he is willing to kill for it?

Jesus told a story about a landowner who needed labourers to harvest his grapes. He engaged men from the market place in the early morning and they agreed on the wage he offered. He went back several times during the day to look for more workers. An hour before knocking-off time there were still a few who had not found work. He employed them as well, even though they only had an hour to work.

At the end of the day, they gathered around the employer to receive their pay. The last men employed were paid first. To the annoyance of the ones who had worked all day, they received the same wage as the first ones, even though the last had only worked for an hour. Thinking that they were going to receive more, the first men protested. The landowner replied, ‘Didn’t you agree to the wage I offered you? Don’t I have the right to do with my money as I choose or are you envious because I am generous?’

What has envy to do with generosity? It was the generosity of the landowner that exposed the greed of the men first employed and they didn’t like it. Likewise, it was the generosity of Jesus that showed up the greed of the religious leaders to the extent that they killed Him for it. Instead of responding to His exposure by repenting and turning to Him, their hearts were so wicked that they chose to silence the voice that was offering them a new life.

This story had no value for us if we do not respond to its application. What do we do when the ungodly attitudes in us are exposed by someone else’s goodness? We will either do whatever it takes to silence the one who exposed us, often by character assassination, and keep on living the way we always did or, like Zaccheus, choose to change our ways and enjoy the blessing of a new life and freedom from the destructive ways of greed and wickedness.

Stop The Rot

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STOP THE ROT

“When Apollos decided to go on to the Achaia province, his Ephesian friends gave their blessing and wrote a letter of recommendation for him, urging the disciples there to welcome him with open arms. The welcome paid off: Apollos turned out to be a great help to those who had become believers through God’s immense generosity. He was particularly effective in public debate with the Jews as he brought out proof after convincing proof from the Scriptures that Jesus was in fact God’s Messiah.” Acts 18:27-28 (The Message).

What did Paul think of Apollos? It seems that they crossed paths between Ephesus and Corinth. Apollos was not a pioneer like Paul. He was a back-up to Paul’s ministry, using his profound knowledge of the Scriptures and his gift of oratory and debate to put the case to the Jews skilfully that Jesus was the fulfilment of the prophetic fingerprint of Messiah. He was also a gift to the churches, strengthening the believers in their knowledge of the Scriptures.

There are little hints that Apollos’ understanding of the gospel was not as in depth and complete as Paul’s was. It was Priscilla and Aquila who had to enlighten him regarding the meaning of John’s baptism and believer’s baptism. Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew, not in the thick of the events that had happened in Jerusalem and Judea. He would have been out of range of the teaching and influence of the apostles and the church in Jerusalem.

As a diligent student of the Scriptures, he must have greatly enhanced his understanding of Jesus as Messiah by probing the prophecies for himself but the more intimate details of Jesus’ life and teaching had not yet been recorded by the gospel writers for the benefit of the leaders of the church. Unlike Paul, he had not spent three years in the desert “Bible School” of the Holy Spirit, receiving revelation that would be taught, circulated and preserved for succeeding generations.

Some Bible scholars believe that Apollos was the anonymous author of the book of Hebrews. It bears the stamp of one who thoroughly understood the Jewish religious system, the current Jewish beliefs and the life and ministry of Jesus as the perfect fulfilment of all the types and shadows of the Old Testament. The writer also realised and warned of the danger of going back into Judaism as a way of escaping persecution from the Roman government.

If Apollos was the author of Hebrews, it shows us just how important a figure he was, although he appeared only briefly on the pages of Acts, and gives us insight into the depth of his understanding of the Jewish religion and his skill in arguing for the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy in Jesus.

Perhaps Apollos’ ministry in Ephesus helped Paul to realise that he was not alone in his care of the churches. He had appointed overseers in each local body to shepherd the believers, but he still had overall responsibility to ensure that no error crept into their teaching and no remnants of behaviour that came from their old lives marred their witness and infected their fellowship.

To have a man like Apollos resident and working in the church in Ephesus was an extension of Paul’s own work, especially since the church leaders so warmly recommended him when he decided to move on to Corinth, and must have been of great encouragement to Paul. A lesser person might have seen Apollos as a threat or a rival but not Paul. He trusted his ministry and urged his young protégée, Titus, to support him in every way he could (Titus 3:13).

How great it is when spiritual leaders recognise others as partners, not rivals! It takes one secure in one’s own calling not to be threatened by the ministry of others. It is a sad day when Christian ministers want to reign supreme, as though the church and the ministry were theirs, and not Christ’s. Nothing destroys the unity of the Body of Christ more effectively than competition, and the rot starts at the top.

Round Two

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ROUND TWO

“Paul stayed a while in Corinth, but then it was time to take leave of his friends. Saying his goodbyes, he sailed for Syria, Priscilla and Aquila with him. Before boarding the ship in the harbour town of Cenchrea, he had his head shaved as part of a vow he had taken.

“They landed at Ephesus, where Priscilla and Aquila got off and stayed. Paul left the ship briefly to go to the meeting place and preach to the Jews. They wanted him to stay longer but he said he couldn’t. But after saying good bye, he promised, ‘I’ll be back, God willing.’

“From Ephesus he sailed to Caesarea. He greeted the assembly of Christians there, and then went on to Antioch, completing the journey.” Acts 18:18-22 (The Message).

Round two completed, and what an eventful journey it had been! As usual, Paul returned to home base at Antioch to report back to his home church the results of his second journey.

During round one he had been dogged by Jewish persecution and round two had been no different. In fact, the opposition had intensified so much that there were times that he had to flee for his life…but he never gave up. He simply went on. He was beaten almost to death by Gentiles at Lystra on his first journey and miraculously raised up to continue his commission.

The second time around, he had pushed on into Europe and encountered bitter opposition at Philippi. This time it was Roman government officials who were influenced by a street gang, roused by angry Jews, who failed to give Paul and Silas a fair hearing, who had them beaten and thrown into jail. Another miracle rescued them and they continued on through Thessalonica, Berea and Athens to Corinth, the most notoriously wicked city in Europe.

It was time to go home, take a break and regain strength to push on again. Paul’s goal was Rome, the heart and pulse of the empire. What a joy it must have been for him, on his return journey to Antioch, to renew ties with groups of believers all along the route he had travelled years before where the gospel had not yet been heard. The whole of Asia Minor and Greece were peppered with churches he had started and left to influence the surrounding areas with the light of God’s kingdom.

It might have been a temptation to Paul to retire in Antioch where he was known and relatively safe, and settle down to a few years of pastoring the home church before he went to be with the Lord. Not Paul! He had been commissioned to go to the nations, and to the nations he would go until his Master instructed him otherwise.

By this time Paul was both seasoned believer and veteran missionary. Retirement was not on his agenda because he was at his most useful and fruitful. There lay ahead for him more suffering, more imprisonment, more experience of God’s love and grace to share with those who were far behind him on their journey. Without those years of experience, we would not have the rich treasures of wisdom he shared through his letters.

In today’s world too many times the elderly are brushed aside and pushed into the backwaters of society because they have outlived their usefulness. With the wealth of life lessons locked up inside them, they are often treated as ignorant and irrelevant. They may not have the technological skills of the younger generation, but many of them have the benefits of a long journey with Jesus.

Fortunately, God has another opinion and agenda for those in the category of “elderly”. Their retirement home is not an earthly one. As long as they have breath, they remain part of the army of souls who live to bear witness to Him.

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright;
He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.'”
Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)

All Out War

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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),