Tag Archives: Macedonia

THE BOOK OF ACTS – MURDEROUS ENVY

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CHAPTER 20

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 evangelizing 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.

THE BOOK OF ACTS – ROADBLOCKS

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ROADBLOCKS

“They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia Province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bythinia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport of Troas.

“That night Paul had a dream. A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.” Acts 16:6-10 (The Message).

What a lovely lesson on guidance! The Spirit of Jesus had a plan for them and He corralled them into going where He wanted them to go; no Google map of their lives but a step-by-step unfolding of the way as they obeyed the previous pointers.

Don’t you love God’s way of doing things? He didn’t guide them like robots, mindlessly following verbal instructions, but having intelligently to discern the mind of the Spirit and following His directives in a partnership that involved trust, submission and obedience in every step they took.

Luke did not elaborate on the way the Holy Spirit blocked their way. We can only surmise that Paul interpreted whatever obstacles He put in the way as from God and not from the devil! That’s not easy to do. How do we know when God is showing us to change direction and when Satan is hindering the work of God through us?

In Paul’s case, whatever was in the way of their going in the direction he had planned must have been insurmountable. Twice he was prevented from following his own plan. When he had got the message, “Not that way!” he was open to a positive call, “Come here and help us!” His immediate response was relief and assurance that God was opening the door to a whole new field of ministry in Europe.

Not only do we see in Paul’s response a spontaneous and willing obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading, but also his ability to discern the mind of the Spirit. This tells us that God had both Paul’s mind and his heart. There was no self-will involved in this man’s commitment to doing the will of God. Paul called himself the “slave” of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was in circumstances like these that he showed just how much of a “slave” he was.

However, Paul’s slavery was his own choice because he wholeheartedly trusted Jesus to do the best for him and through him. This is our highest calling in life – to be one with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, just as they are one in a functional unity of essence, heart and purpose. There is no greater freedom than being a slave of Jesus because His way is secure and certain and takes us unerringly to the Father.

Paul had no idea of what lay ahead for him. Had he known, he might not have been so willing to go that way. He might easily have said, “No thank you!” and gone home. But, looking back over a life of trial and suffering, he could say with absolute assurance, “I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed…” 2 Timothy 1:12 (NIV).

We can only learn the love of God when we follow His leading along uncertain paths and sometimes painful ways. Even when we stubbornly choose our own way and have to face the consequences of our own foolishness, God is there to cradle us in His arms and lovingly redirect us in the right way.

How else can we learn the depth of His love than feeling it and experiencing it in the depth of our pain? Would Paul have ever wished his life to have been different, easy, uneventful, without trials? I think not! Looking back, we can say, “As tough as it was, I would not have missed for anything in the world.”

Roadblocks

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ROADBLOCKS

“They went to Phrygia, and then on through the region of Galatia. Their plan was to turn west into Asia Province, but the Holy Spirit blocked that route. So they went to Mysia and tried to go north to Bythinia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go there either. Proceeding on through Mysia, they went down to the seaport of Troas.

“That night Paul had a dream. A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans.” Acts 16:6-10 (The Message).

What a lovely lesson on guidance! The Spirit of Jesus had a plan for them and He corralled them into going where He wanted them to go; no Google map of their lives but a step-by-step unfolding of the way as they obeyed the previous pointers.

Don’t you love God’s way of doing things? He didn’t guide them like robots, mindlessly following verbal instructions, but having intelligently to discern the mind of the Spirit and following His directives in a partnership that involved trust, submission and obedience in every step they took.

Luke did not elaborate on the way the Holy Spirit blocked their way. We can only surmise that Paul interpreted whatever obstacles He put in the way as from God and not from the devil! That’s not easy to do. How do we know when God is showing us to change direction and when Satan is hindering the work of God through us?

In Paul’s case, whatever was in the way of their going in the direction he had planned must have been insurmountable. Twice he was prevented from following his own plan. When he had got the message, “Not that way!” he was open to a positive call, “Come here and help us!” His immediate response was relief and assurance that God was opening the door to a whole new field of ministry in Europe.

Not only do we see in Paul’s response a spontaneous and willing obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading, but also his ability to discern the mind of the Spirit. This tells us that God has both Paul’s mind and his heart. There was no self-will involved in this man’s commitment to doing the will of God. Paul called himself the “slave” of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was in circumstances like these that he showed just how much of a “slave” he was.

However, Paul’s slavery was his own choice because he wholeheartedly trusted Jesus to do the best for him and through him. This is our highest calling in life – to be one with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, just as they are one in a functional unity of essence, heart and purpose. There is no greater freedom than being a slave of Jesus because His way is secure and certain and takes us unerringly to the Father.

Paul had no idea of what lay ahead for him. Had he known, he might not have been so willing to go that way. He might easily have said, “No thank you!” and gone home. But, looking back over a life of trial and suffering, he could say with absolute assurance, “I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed…” 2 Timothy 1:12 (NIV).

We can only learn the love of God when we follow His leading along uncertain paths and sometimes painful ways. Even when we stubbornly choose our own way and have to face the consequences of our own foolishness, God is there to cradle us in His arms and lovingly redirect us in the right way.

How else can we learn the depth of His love than feeling it and experiencing it in the depth of our pain? Would Paul have ever wished his life to have been different, easy, uneventful, without trials? I think not! Looking back, we can say, “As tough as it was, I would not have missed for anything in the world.”