Friday, October 05, 2012

Opening: Have you ever had a time in your life when you were afraid for your life? Something happened that gave you fear that your life would end? What happened to circumvent your feared outcome?

Scripture: Read Acts14:1-28.

Insights:

• Next stop on the First Missionary Journey is Iconium, about 90 miles from Antioch. (See your Bible’s maps or click here. Iconium was one of the chief cities in the southern part of what Rome called “Galatia.” Yes, it is this region to which Paul writes the book of Galatians, to the various churches he established in this area (see Galatians 1:2)  
• We see Paul’s pattern over and over again:

1.    Preach in the synagogue.

2.    Success among some Jews, but also among the Gentile proselytes and God-fearers.

3.    Jewish hostility.

4.    Withdrawal from the synagogue.

5.    Further successful ministry to the Gentiles.

6.    Persecution.

7.    Flight.

• Again, many believed Paul and Barnabas’s message, and once again, there is a threat to their lives. Even though their message was backed up with miraculous signs and wonders, there was a group of people who wanted to stone them.  
• After the threat in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas travel to Lystra, 25 miles to the south. The people there think Paul and Barnabas were gods. According to legend, the gods Zeus and Hermes had come to earth in disguise. None in all the land would give them hospitality until two old peasants, Philemon and his wife Baucis, took them in. As a result, the whole population was wiped out by the gods except Philemon and Baucis, who were made the guardians of a splendid temple in Lystra, and were turned into two great trees when they died. So when Paul healed the crippled man, the people of Lystra were determined not to make the same mistake again. Barnabas must have been a man of noble presence so they took him for Zeus the king of the gods. Hermes was the messenger of the gods and, since Paul was the speaker, they called him Hermes.[1] 
• Oh no! Troublemakers from Antioch and Iconium come to Lystra and persuade the crowds to go against Paul. They wanted to stone him in Iconium; now, they accomplish it. They drag Paul out of town, thinking he was dead. Imagine the reaction of the group of believers who stood over his lifeless body, only to be startled that he got up and went back into Lystra.  
• After his near-death experience, Paul heads to Derbe, about 50 miles from Lystra. All the text says is that many became disciples.  
• After Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps, revisiting each of the churches they had established. They encouraged the believers, discipled them, appointed leaders, prayed over them, and gave them the ministry.  
• When they return home, Paul and Barnabas report on the journey that opened the door of Christianity to Gentiles. They will have to give another report, but we will deal with that in Sunday’s devotional.

Life Questions:

• Paul is clearly a man of courage. When he came to his senses, his first act was to go right back into the city where he had been stoned. It was John Wesley’s advice, “Always look a mob in the face.” There could be no braver thing than Paul going straight back among those who had tried to murder him. This act of bravery probably meant more than 100 sermons. People had to ask themselves, “Why is he so brave? What makes his beliefs worth dying for?” Are you worried about possible persecution? Does it keep you from doing what the Lord is calling you to do?

Prayer Focus: That we would have the courage to proclaim with our lips and our lives the message of Jesus Christ.

---

[1] Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, Acts 14:8-18

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Opening: Have you ever been a member of a team, either in sports or in business? What part or role did you play? Could you do everything, or was your contribution part of the larger effort? 

Scripture: Read Acts 13:13-52.

Insights:

• Note the change in the order of the names in verse 14. Paul is now the leader of this team, and Barnabas, the son of encouragement, is totally fine with that. He is prepared to take second place as long as God’s work is done.
• Here’s John Mark again, but this time, it is to say that he left the team and went back home to Jerusalem. Why? Mark was very young. Remember, his mother’s house seems to have been the center of the church at Jerusalem (see Acts 12:12). Paul and Barnabas took him with them as their helper, because he was Barnabas’ cousin, but he turned and went home. We will never know why. Perhaps he resented the deposition of Barnabas from the leadership. Perhaps he was afraid of the proposed journey up into the plateau where Antioch in Pisidia stood, for it was one of the hardest and most dangerous roads in the world. Perhaps, because he came from Jerusalem, he had his doubts about this preaching to the Gentiles. Perhaps at this stage he was one of those many who are better at beginning things than finishing them. Perhaps – as Chrysostom said – Mark wanted his mama.[1]
• When entering a new city, Paul and Barnabas always began in the synagogue. There they would find Jews and God-fearing Gentiles with whom they could easily begin a spiritual conversation. And that’s what Paul did here; he tells the redemption story of Israel, and adds that it was ultimately and completely fulfilled in Jesus. If Paul and Barnabas were unwelcome, they would then speak to Gentiles.
• This missionary journey is going well. People are coming to Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles. But, as we will see in the days ahead, there would be a group of people who would forcibly kick the preachers out of town. Luke chooses to include the image of Paul and Barnabas “shaking the dust from their feet”, an obvious reference to Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; and Luke 9:5.

Life Questions:

• Look again at Acts 13:43 – “Many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, and the two men urged them to continue to rely on the grace of God.”[2] This little phrase is so important. The Jews believed they had to earn their way to God through sacrifices and following a bunch of rules; Paul and Barnabas urged them to rely on and remain in the grace of God. Grace means “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Are you relying on what you do or Who you know?
• Let’s face it. No matter what we do, no matter what we say, there will be people who reject our message of Christ. Jesus had people who rejected him, as did Paul. What was Jesus’ guidance (and Paul’s example) with regards to these people? How do you feel about that?

Prayer Focus: That we would be like the believers of Antioch of Pisidia: filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

---

[1] Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, Acts 13:13

[2] Acts 13:43 (NLT)

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Opening: Do you remember your first vacation? Maybe it was your first vacation as a child? How about that first vacation after getting married, or with your children, or after you retired?

Scripture: Read Acts 12:24-13:12.

Insights:

• There is a lot going on in today’s reading. 
• Luke gives an account of the death of Herod Agrippa I. By inserting it so close to the martyrdom of James and the attempt on Peter’s life, Luke is not so subtly insinuating the reason for Herod’s death. Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes how, on the second day of a festival, Herod entered the theater clad in a robe of silver cloth. The sun glinted on the silver and the people cried out that this was a god come to them. At once, a sudden and terrible illness fell upon him from which he never recovered. But it’s not just that he accepts god-like accolades from the crowd; that may be what he or the people thought. What Luke is saying is that it was more than that. Herod died as punishment for his persecution of two of the three Inner Circle. 
• During a worship time, the Holy Spirit directed the Gentile church at Antioch to dedicate Barnabas and Saul (note the order of the names) for a special evangelistic work to other Gentiles, which would become the First Missionary Journey.

• John Mark is mentioned twice in chapter 12 (verse 12 and 25). This is who we call Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark. His mother’s name was Mary (see Acts12:12). The home is spoken of as hers, so his father was probably dead. The description of the house (with its large room and porch) and the mention of the Greek slave, suggest a family of wealth. Mark was converted through Peter’s personal influence (see 1 Peter 5:13). Mark was “cousin” to Barnabas (see Colossians4:10), which explains how he becomes connected to Paul and begins the First Missionary Journey as their “assistant.” We will learn more about Mark later. 
• The first stop on the journey is the Island of Cyprus. Look in your Bible for a map of Paul’s journeys, or go to this chart. 
• Acts 13 marks a transition in Luke’s account. He now begins to focus on the ministry of the man who he now refers to as Paul (see verse 9).

Life Questions:

• Consider the leaders of the Antioch church. Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus; Lucius came from Cyrene in North Africa; Simeon was also a Jew but his other name Niger is given and, since this is a Roman name, it shows that he must have moved in Roman circles; Manaen was a man with aristocratic connections; and Paul himself was a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia and a trained rabbi. In that little band there is exemplified the unifying influence of Christianity. Men from many lands and many backgrounds had discovered the secret of “togetherness” because they had discovered the secret of Christ. Are there people in your life who, though you are different, can come with you in the work of Christ? 
• The Christian Church was now poised to take the greatest of all steps. They had decided, quite deliberately, to take the gospel to all the world. It was a decision taken under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. The people of the Early Church never did what they wanted to do but always what God wanted them to do.[1] What is God calling you to do? What is God calling us to do as a church to further the Good News?

Prayer Focus: That we would hear the voice of the Holy Spirit calling us to a great journey.

---

[1] Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, Acts 13:3

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Opening: Have you had someone you loved die suddenly and unexpectedly? A tragic accident? A heart attack or other sudden physical cause? What was it like? What were your feelings?

Scripture: Read Acts 12:1-23.

Insights:

• James is martyred! It is hard to imagine. He was one of the first disciples to join Jesus, along with his brother John. James was with Peter and John at the Transfiguration (see Mark 9:2-8). This “Inner Circle” was closest to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• King Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great from Jesus’ birth story. His sister was Herodias, who had been responsible for the death of John the Baptist (see Mark 6:17-28). The Romans appointed Herod to rule over most of Palestine, including the territories of Galilee, Perea, Judea, and Samaria.
• The scene of Peter knocking on the gate is really quite humorous. Rhoda is so excited that she leaves Peter standing outside. Those in the house figure she’s imagining it and claim Peter’s dead. And Peter keeps knocking. Great stuff! 
• Don’t be confused by the reference to “James” in verse 17. This James was Jesus’ half-brother, and other than Peter, he was the most influential leader in the church in Jerusalem. He was the author of the New Testament book James, and we will see him later in our study.

Life Questions:

• Why James should die while Peter should escape is a “mystery of divine providence.”[1] Life is full of difficult questions like this. Why is one child physically disabled and another child athletically gifted? Why do people die before realizing their potential? Questions like these we cannot possibly answer in this life because we do not see all that God sees. He has chosen to allow evil in this world for a time. But we can trust God’s leading because he has promised to destroy all evil eventually. In the meantime, we know that God will help us use our suffering to strengthen us and glorify him.[2] 
• Look what happens when the church prays: a miracle occurs – Peter is freed while under maximum security. (Remember in Acts 5:18-25, the apostles were miraculously freed once before, thus the reason for the security precautions.) What are you earnestly praying about right now? Have you asked others in the church to join you in prayer for this need?

Prayer Focus: That no matter what happens, though we do not know the answer to the “why” question, we know Who!

---

[1] F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Book of the Acts (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), 251.

[2] Life Application Study Bible, Acts 12:2-11

Monday, October 01, 2012

Opening: Do you like to go to new things – restaurants, stores, attractions, gadgets? Or do you like to wait “until they get all the bugs worked out”?

Scripture: Read Acts11:19-30.

Insights:

• There are two Antiochs in the New Testament:

1.    Antioch in Pisidia (modern Turkey) was visited by Paul and Barnabas on the First Missionary Journey (see Acts 13:14).

2.    The one in today’s passage is Antioch in Syria, 300 miles north of Jerusalem. With the exception of Jerusalem, Antioch of Syria played a more important role in the early church than any other city. After Rome and Alexandria, Antioch was the largest city in the Roman world. In Antioch, the first Gentile church was founded, and Paul used the city as his home base during his missionary journeys.

• We met Barnabas back in Acts 4:36-37. He was called the “Son of Encouragement” and he clearly lived up to his name in today’s passage. Not only did he encourage the growing Gentile believers, he was led to get Saul to help him. It had been 9 years since Saul escaped from Jerusalem and went back home to Tarsus (see Acts9:30). For a possible timeline of Paul, see http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/paul/timeline.cfmhttp://www.blueletterbible.org/study/paul/timeline.cfm. 
• Here in Antioch is where we get our name: Christians. Christian means “These Christ-folk.” It was intended as a contemptuous nickname; but the Christians took it and made it known to the entire world. By their lives they made it a name not of contempt but of respect and admiration and even wonder. 
• The church in Antioch learned to give through the leadership of Barnabas. These Gentile believers supported their fellow believers in Judea and sent the offering to Jerusalem. Claudius was Roman emperor from 41-54 AD.

Life Questions:

• Who has been an encourager for you, someone who has helped you reach farther in your faith than you thought possible? Is there someone you are encouraging now? Who knows if that person might become a Paul? Only one way to find out, right? 
• Giving to people in need was practiced very early in the Christian movement (see Acts4:34-35; 6:1). How are you doing in your giving to help needy persons?

Prayer Focus: That we live up to our name – Christ folk!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Opening: Have you ever been called to the Principal’s office or to a review board? Maybe to a personnel committee who had questions about things you said or did? What did it feel like? Were you able to respond calmly, or did you get defensive?

Scripture: Read Acts 11:1-18.

Insights:

• “Attention. Peter, please come and answer charges of associating with Gentiles.” There were some unhappy people who had serious accusations against Peter. This same thing occurs to Paul later in Acts, but we will get to that in a week or so. 
• It is interesting to see how important this event is to Luke. It’s not like he had unlimited space to write. He wrote on a papyrus roll which was unwieldy. The longest roll that was used was about thirty-five feet long, just enough to fit the Book of Acts. Luke had to be careful what he put in. So to tell the Cornelius story twice tells you how important he thought it was. 
• We usually do not realize how near Christianity was to becoming only another kind of Judaism. All the first Christians were Jews and the whole tradition and outlook of Judaism would have moved them to keep the movement to themselves and to believe that God could not possibly have meant it for the Gentiles. Luke sees this incident as a notable milestone on the road along which the Church was groping its way to the concept that the Gospel is for the world. 
• Peter’s defense is: the Holy Spirit told me to do it. Of course, that is easy to say. But when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles, it became an ill refutable and convincing argument. Plus, he had 6 witnesses with him (see Acts 11:12).

Life Questions:

• It is difficult to go against what we have always believed, what we have always taught. Look at it this way:

1.    Tradition is “the living faith of the dead”, the embodiment of the Christian faith as contained in the Scriptures through the belief and practice of disciples through the centuries and handed on to present and future generations.

2.    Traditional is a congregation’s or denomination’s familiar practices rooted in a given era.

3.    Traditionalism is “the dead faith of the living”, a belief checklist, because “we have always done that.”[1]

• In Wesleyan theology, we believe that every Christian has the Holy Spirit within. How has the Holy Spirit led you? Where and to what is He leading you now? (To learn more about the Holy Spirit, plan to attend the First Sunday: Christianity 101 class, November 4, 2012.)

Prayer Focus: That we would be guided by the Holy Spirit in everything we do.

---

[1] Adapted from “Contemporary Worship for the 21st Century: Worship Or Evangelism?” Daniel T. Benedict and Craig Kennet Miller. Discipleship Resources, 1994.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Opening: What is one thing in your life that you know you should do, but you have a really hard time doing it? Balance the checkbook? Lose weight? Make a difficult phone call? What keeps you from doing what you probably know is the right thing to do?

Scripture: We begin a new series tomorrow. Read James1:19-27.

Insights:

• Wow. James really hits his readers hard. These are very difficult:  
1. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  
2. Get rid of filth and evil.  
3. Humbly accept God’s word and do what it says.
4. Control your tongue.
5. Care for those in need.
6. Don’t let the world corrupt you.
• James uses the vivid word pictures in verse 21:  
1. He tells his readers to get rid of filth and evil. The word he uses for “get rid of” is the word used for stripping off one’s clothes. He tells them to get rid of all defilement as you would strip off filthy clothes or as a snake sloughs off its skin.  
2. The word we translate “filth” is ruparia; and it can be used for the filth which soils clothes or soils the body. But it has one very interesting connection. It is a derivative of rupos and, when rupos is used in a medical sense, it means wax in the ear. It is possible that it still retains that meaning here, that James is telling us to get rid of everything which would stop our ears to the true word of God. When wax gathers in the ear, it can make a person deaf; and our sins can make us deaf to God.  
3. The word for “evil” is perisseia. James thinks of evil as tangled undergrowth or a cancerous growth which must be cut away.
• James talks more about the tongue in chapter 3, verses 1-12.

Life Questions:

• Of the 6 things James tells us to do, which is the hardest for you? Is there one that if you really prayed about it, you might find God wants you to work on that one too?

Prayer Focus: For tomorrow’s worship celebration and that we be more than simple hearers – we will be doers!

Tomorrow’s Message Title: “God, You Want Me To Do What?” Message Series: “Sent”