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)