Author: missionspaul

Enough is enough

Acts 18:6  But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’

 

Enough is enough.

We have heard those words recently with the rise of terrorist attacks in the UK.

I hope those words lead to some decisive and maybe shocking actions that would never have been taken had we not experienced such evil attacks.

Enough is enough.

It was for Paul.

“From now on…”

Maybe today the situation you are in has become so difficult that you are going to have to declare, ‘From now on.’

Paul demonstrated this by following the actions of Old Testament characters such as Nehemiah in shaking the dust off his garments. This was known in Judaism and Jesus used this when he suggested to his disciples they shake the dust off their feet. Here is what it means.

Maybe today the situation you are in has become so difficult that you are simply going to have put some distance between you and that person or circumstance. Remove the situation from your life. Carry the heaviness no more.

Finally Paul decided that he was going to move on to a new life, a new ministry. This was a new moment for him. This was the day for leaving his old focus and head to something new, to the Gentiles.

From now on …

I remove myself …

And.

I now go …

Maybe today the situation you are in has become so difficult that you will announce a new moment, a new direction, a new job perhaps, you will hang around with a new friend, but this is the turning point.

And looking back in the years to come you will agree that the day of difficulty had to be, in fact you are grateful for it was then that you said enough is enough.

Encouraging others to continue

 

Acts 18:5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

 

Silas and Timothy had been left in Macedonia they have much to tell Paul about the churches there.

They would speak of the work in Thessalonica and how the church was remaining strong. This would be the catalyst for Paul to write his letter of 1 Thessalonians to them.

Importantly for Paul they were also able to bring with them a substantial ministry gift from the church in Philippi (2 Corinthians 11:9; Phil 4:16). It was important for Paul because he could now leave his tent making business and give his whole attention to his preaching.

When visiting do you bring encouraging news? Do you bring a financial gift?

Thanks God for those that do. They may not be able to go or preach the gospel. But they can cause others to be compelled to do just that.

Maybe today you can be challenged to be such a friend. Perhaps you can make that visit real soon?!

Get to work!

Acts 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

 

I do like the Message which uses the words ‘doing his best’ in this verse. The Apostle Paul was doing his best. He was trying his hardest in his work.

Here is the New Testament leader who moved in the power of the Spirit and we are told he was working hard, doing his best, trying.

Here is a key to life: work hard!

Some people are part time with things that need full time attention.

If you only work half-heartedly then your results will show it.

Some travel the world to find the strategies for success or to receive some special anointing to bring about remarkable results which only come through sheer hard work.

Some people are praying for a move of God when actually a move of God’s people is needed. Why should God work when His people are lazy?

If a worker deserves his wages (1 Tim 5:18) then sadly perhaps we should be saving more money in Christian ministries?

Why should we be talking about rest and taking a Sabbath when work is in decline?

Those who don’t see what they long to see have most probably stopped working for what they saw a long time ago.

Some retire though they were never tired because they never put a shift in.

Maybe today some people are just one day of work away from their breakthrough but they have decided not to show up.

Let’s work.

 

Get a job.

Acts 18:3 “Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.”

Let us not forget that this great man of God, who knew the Spirit, possessed many gifts, who was a powerful preacher and teacher, a master of the Old Testament and Judaism had a job.

Let us remember that the Apostle Paul spent his days not on prayer-mountain or in an office of books or behind a pulpit or under a mountain of important paper work but sat working the leather making tents.

He had a manual job that paid him money. Even an Apostle needs money. No one is above needing to earn money.

• He didn’t want people to accuse him of leading people to Christ in order to finance himself (1 Corinthians 9:15-18).
• The Jewish Rabbis believed that accompanying the study of the Torah with some secular occupation helped to put sin out of their mind.

This week I told the new batch of missionaries soon to be commissioned that if they can work at something to help support themselves then to go and do it.

One of our missionaries in Africa who leads a great church planting movement helps to provide a new church planter with a small grant to set up a business. The church planter goes out equipped in God’s word, church planting strategies and the means to support themselves.

A couple of years ago a UK church sent a missionary couple with one year’s wages. I told the couple to find a part-time job, half the church’s money so that it would stretch to 2 years support. That’s what they did and it meant that the couple were able to reach more people and it gave them 2 years to plant a new church that would support them.

It is okay to get a job.

It is not surprising the loneliness of some in ministry today whether in the UK or overseas. Loneliness is dangerous because it can lead to destructive paths of thought and behaviour. There may be a place for the counselling of those who are lonely but it may be just a case of encouraging them to get a job.

How often do we hear it being said that a church can only just afford to pay its Pastor. It suggests there is nothing left at all for investing in evangelism and missions. Perhaps the church needs to rethink its expectations on the Pastor and for him/her to get a job.

The Apostle Paul had a job to support himself though he recognised his right to be supported by those he ministered to (1 Corinthians 9:7-14).

Maybe the great breakthrough that is wanted will come when the Pastor, Church planter, missionary gets a job.

I realise that this devotional thought may not be popular with those who don’t want a job. But it just may release those who have been trapped by the false notion that being a ‘full-time paid’ worker is the sign that you have made it, you have reached the top and that amongst every great thing that the person is doing it is totally fine to get a job.

God is in control

Acts 18:2 “There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome.”

Aquila and Priscilla are known for being the close friends of Paul. They formed such a close bond that Paul would call them his “fellow workers who risked their lives for me.” (Romans 16:3-4)

This couple became church leaders and were influential with Paul in the planting of churches in Corinth and Ephesus. They had their own church that met in their house in Corinth.

They were such a help to Paul and the Lord used them.

How did this happen for them?

They were expelled from their Italian home by the Roman emperor, Claudius. This was not the first time. The emperors were often involved in such ethnic cleansing. Claudius was no exception, he was a racist and he increasingly became intolerant of the Jews.

Aquila and Priscilla had suffered, they went through this evil purging feeling like dirt in such wicked circumstances. No doubt they experienced every fear and doubt. But through it all unbeknown to them God was working it all out.

Your greatest catastrophe can be your greatest opportunity.

This couple may never have left voluntarily.

Sometimes we have to be violently thrown out of our nest. So much so that the only presence we feel is that of the evil one. It is much later that we realise the overriding presence is that of God.

 

 

It is not about what you do.

 

Acts 18: 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

 

A new chapter, a new day, a new journey, a new city and a new story!

Luke writes this sentence quite matter of fact. It is simple. Paul left Athens and he went to Corinth. The story moves forward and we are opened to a new city and we are ready for more activity and new adventures.

But it is never as simple as that is it?

As with this verse we never know the full story, do we?

When people ask you, “How are you doing?” is your reply about your activity? Is that what they want to hear?

“So how’s things going Paul?” “Well, this is what happened in Athens and now I am moving into Corinth and I am hoping to get great results in this city.”

Some people spend their whole life talking about what they have done or what they are about to do and not about who they are and how they feel.

Was Paul discouraged leaving Athens? Was he angry over the responses he received from those apparent learned people? Was his enthusiasm curbed? Was he sad? Was he tired? He is alone travelling but is he lonely? What is missing from his life? What needs does he have? What would make it easier for him? Is he afraid of what lies ahead?

Luke doesn’t say and we don’t know and maybe we never thought about it and maybe no one cares.

But Paul is human and he is so much more than activity. So are you and so am I.

How can this change?

Maybe today we can begin to change it for someone. Maybe instead of asking them about their activity, we find a question that unlocks who they are.

Maybe today you pray less about what you are going to do and more about the person you have become and are becoming.

What no one sees does matter.

Dionysius and Damaris

Acts 17:34 “Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

 

They were worthy of a mention! Dionysius and Damaris were prominent people amongst a number who decided to believe the resurrection of Jesus and become followers. Today we do not know anything really about these 2 people only that Luke mentions them. Some say Dionysius became the first bishop of Athens and later died a martyr. Was it him? Of course we do not really know. Damaris was made a Catholic saint, Saint Damaris of Athens. Of course Luke doesn’t mention her because of this!

So who were they?

I cannot give any revelation other than this.

1. They were prominent people. Dionysius was a member of the Areopagus. Damaris was a woman and probably of wealth to have been permitted within the Areopagus.
2. They were both obviously influential people of their society.
3. When others scoffed at the gospel they didn’t.
4. When others said they would like to hear Paul again, they said we have heard enough and are convinced.
5. When their culture said there were a plethora of gods and goddesses to worship, they were counter cultural believing in the unknown God having sent Jesus to die and be raised to life.

That is perhaps all that we know and perhaps that is enough.

May more Dionysius and Damaris people come to follow Jesus.

Leaving is as important as entering

Acts 17:33 “At that, Paul left the Council.”

Paul had understood their faith. He had understood their history. He knew the story of the unknown God. He knew about Epimenides of Crete and Aratus of Cilicia. He quoted these poets. He built bridges. He spoke of God the creator and the sustainer. He spoke of God the ruler and father of all and the judge. But when he spoke of Jesus the people didn’t want to hear, some did, but most didn’t. Others wanted him to finish what he was saying and they would listen again to him later.

So, what should he do?

Carry on building bridges?

Modify his message of Jesus and the resurrection?

If Paul couldn’t talk about Jesus then he didn’t want to waste his breath on anything else. Everything else was a build up to this one major point: Jesus!

Let’s talk about Jesus and if we cannot after all we have invested into the relationship then there is only one thing we should do. That is to leave.

Paul left at that. At what? At the point of being shut down.

We should all know when to exit as well as when to enter.

What is your exit strategy?

There are always some.

 

Acts 17:31 “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’

There is always one, at least one, sometimes some.

Recently someone said to me “I haven’t heard anyone criticise your work, everyone says how great you are doing. I have only heard one person say something against you.”

Now guess who I was thinking about in that conversation?!

There is always one, sometimes there are some.

Recently I was in a church, a beautiful refurbished church. It is amazing. Before the service started I was just marvelling at the building to 2 nice old ladies. They sneered and mumbled something.

There are always two, sometimes there are some.

Recently I walked into a group of four pastors who were discussing the ministry. But on earshot I realised that though these guys have the awesome privilege of what I think is one of the best jobs in the world they were actually taking it in turns to denounce their positions as the worst jobs God ever thought of. I didn’t stay.

There are always four, sometimes there are some.

Jesus had people sneer at him, so why should we expect anything different?

So let’s get over it. Let us settle this once and for all. In who you are, what you do, no matter how much you give or how hard you work there is always some who will sneer at you.

Let us love the some because we already love the many.

 

 

Apollo was wrong 
Acts 17:31 “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
Creator, sustainer, ruler, father and now judge, this is our God.

Paul says that this God has set a time when he is going to do what the Jewish tradition always said he would do, indeed what he must do, he will set the world right and bring it to account, he will judge it, but how? Here is the crescendo coming to the finale. This is the pinnacle of Paul’s preaching, this is what we have been waiting for. How will God judge? Of course we know how. It is the risen Jesus Christ. 

Now here is some interesting information that you may or may not know. 

Six centuries earlier, Apollo who inaugurated the court of the Areopagus had declared in an Aeschylus’s play these words, “when a man dies and his blood is shed on the ground, there is no resurrection.” Now pause a moment. On that same spot Paul 600 years later declares that God unveiled himself by appointing a man to be a judge for the whole world and had certified this by raising him from the dead!

Did Paul know this historical truth? Er, yes!

The resurrection has heralded the commencement of God judging the world and making the world right. Jesus is the one part of the physical universe that has already been set right. Jesus is therefore the one person through whom everything else will also be set right. 

So let me finish with this thought.

600 years and a man says famously that once a man dies there is no resurrection. 600 years later Jesus proves that man wrong. 

What man says to you is only man. 

Man may have cursed you or laid claims to something that they feel is unchangeable but God changes what man cannot change. God always outruns and outdoes man. 

Man may say something to you but it is what God says that is important. 

Apollo was wrong. He was proven wrong. The resurrection of Jesus proves it. 

Today if someone has said to you, ‘that will never happen’, well, Jesus will prove them wrong, Jesus in you will show them that is foolish to say never when God is still on the throne.