Thoughts From Acts 20 - Part 1

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. Acts 20:1-12

          When I copy and paste the Bible verses in this blog, I usually delete the big headers like "Eutychus Raised From the Dead" because I think those are added by editors to God's word. Today I'm leaving it in because that header is the point. The editor could have just as easily said "Eutychus Falls Asleep in Church" which was just as true and would relate to all of us much more than the first header. And this is my point - God takes our failures and uses them for His glory. 

         One of my stories that I have shared countless times in my life was the first time I scrubbed into surgery. I was between years of college pre-med Chemistry in the summer and I was invited to observe a surgery by a noted Surgeon from my church who knew I was interested in medicine. After changing into scrubs in the locker room I followed him to the scrub sink where I grabbed a hard plastic "brush" with one side having plastic spikes. After cleaning my fingernails, I foot-pumped pink liquid soap on this brush and scrubbed my hands and arms until the 10 minute timer went off with the pointy part of the brush. My arms were bright red and actually hurt. I then backed through the door and after I dried with a sterile towel I grabbed my gown and touched a table. The head nurse yelled, "CONTAMINATED!" and I looked around to see who the idiot was that contaminated things and they were all looking at me. Surely after 10 minutes of scrubbing to the point where my epidermis layer was about removed, I was germ - free, right? Wrong. I learned quickly that no matter how much you scrub your germs can't be fully removed.

       That great failure has become a great story to tell about all our efforts can't remove sin from our lives and pointing to the need for Christ, our atonement covering like a gown, glove, mask, and hat to be applied to us to cover over our guilt and sin which allows us to come into the holy presence of God like a sterile OR. Just like one germ can kill a person in surgery, one sin can keep us out of the holy presence of God.

       One of my most embarrassing failures Jim Contaminates the OR becomes the headline Jim Demonstrates That Works Can't Remove Sins, Only Christ's Covering Can. I wonder if I'm the only one with blunders or lemons turned into lemonade by Christ. My wife shares her story of being told by her 2nd grade teacher that no one was to get up while she left the room for 2 minutes and Karen, even though she wasn't thirsty was drawn to the drinking fountain in the room and got sent to the principal's office for it. She relates this to our sin nature especially Romans 7.

      On a practical note, if you are ever asked to share a devotion, share a story of humiliation not of success. People relate much better to our failures and will listen much more intently. Also, God tends to teach us a lot more through our failures than successes. What's your failure story? I can't wait to hear it!

Thoughts From Acts 19 - Part 3

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.  Acts 19:23-41

         Did you see that in the first verse Christianity was called "The Way"? The Mandalorian would often explain his moral code by saying, "This is the way." Believers follow the Bible and even though it conflicts with modern morality, we do what it says because, this is the way. The problem arises because people that don't follow the way say, "Well, that's your way, not my way. I don't follow your God." God gave everyone free will to be able to say that. He doesn't force Himself on anyone - well maybe Paul. But Christianity doesn't claim to be "a way", it claims to be "The way". People say "Your God" but they're mistaken; He's God, there is no other. People say that's not "my" truth but they're mistaken; there is just truth. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me." It was astute of the Ephesians to call it "The Way" because they understood what Christians were saying.

         And they understood its exclusivity because it didn't make room for other gods like Artemis. You couldn't own idols or books on witchcraft because One God, One way, One truth doesn't allow for that - not in a militant way but in a nonsensical way. It made them mad because it was saying their way was the wrong way. Back in the day, we used to pile our kids in the conversion van and take trips to Florida. I got wash off paint and I painted John 14:6 on the side of the van, the verse that I quoted at the end of the previous paragraph. Boy did I get the finger a lot. There is probably no more offensive verse to the world than that. The Ephesians knew it and were ready to rip people limb from limb.

        This is what we believe. This is the way. Understand that. Don't compromise. Accept the fact that people aren't going to like it.

Thoughts From Acts 19 - Part 2

  When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. Acts 19:17-22

                 If your church had a revival and they announced, "on the final night we will have a bonfire and we want you to bring whatever is holding you back from wholeheartedly following Jesus and we want you to throw it in the fire", what would you bring? My guess is the Apple Store would be doing a lot of business because everyone would be buying new iPhones the next day. Today the phone is our major detractor from following Jesus. Someone might answer pornography is holding me back - the phone is the facilitator. Someone might say desire for possessions and comfort - Amazon is one click away from fulfilling all our wants and Instagram shows us what we don't have that others do. Someone might say I need to spend more time in prayer and Bible study but I just don't have the time - endless scrolling may be stealing your time or video games which the cellphone is the vector.

      As I mentioned earlier, as soon as you threw it in the fire you'd be saying, "What have I done; I need to go buy another!", because the cellphone is also helpful in our spiritual growth. Through it we are enriched, empowered, emoted, educated, edified, encouraged and any other "e" word I can come up with. I blog/journal with it and use the Bible App daily. When my wife can't sleep she turns on the Bible audio. When I'm in the car, fishing, doing yard work, lounging by the pool, Christian music enriches my soul. I listen to sermons and podcasts as I drive and watch apologetic videos on YouTube. I have a kid's playlist of Christian Music for kids that the grandkids know by heart. I've witnessed in other languages with the use of translator apps on my device. What would I do without a cellphone! 

       My point is, like I did 55 years ago, we need to throw ourselves in the fire. Not literally but we need to say burn away the dross and set me on fire for you. Jesus said, "to the pure all things are pure". In other words, if your eye and desires are evil, the cellphone is going to become a conduit of evil. However, if our eyes are good and our heart is set on Christ, the cellphone is going to be a great help and facilitator of spiritual growth and power. The fire in Ephesus was a great symbol of repentance but like the youth in my church that threw things in the bonfire, many strayed because it's not about things but the heart. We are children of a burning heart. Catch fire!

Thoughts From Acts 19 - Part 1

 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.  Acts 19:8-16

    I don't like to reminisce a whole lot because when I look back on my life I think of all the bonehead things I've done and I'm so glad that's behind me that I don't want to go there. The ironic thing is I'll probably look back on this present time 10 years from now and not want to go here. There used to be an old bumper sticker that said PBPGIFWMY, which was code for "Please be patient God isn't finished with me yet." One of those moments was around 1990. Orel Hersheiser had won the World Series with a record setting year and had boldly proclaimed Christ throughout. I had just read his book and felt like I knew him. Actually, we were even in the same family as Brothers in Christ. Therefore, I wrote him a letter and said I'd like to meet him, and we'd be in Atlanta for his game against the Braves and asked if he'd leave me 2 tickets. Obviously when I went to Will Call, I got the answer, we know Orel, and we know his family, but we don't know you. Oh, the shame. See why I don't reminisce? I'm the world's biggest buffoon. The only reason I share this story is because I know no one reads this and because the seven sons of Sceva did it 2000 years before me.

       The sons of Sceva knew all about Paul, they knew all about Jesus and His power and authority, but they didn't know Jesus. There are churches all through Memphis today and people gathered in those churches that know all about Jesus but aren't in His family. They don't know Him personally and someday when they stand before Him, He will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you." There are seminarians throughout the world learning about the Bible but never letting it come alive to them. How can we know him rather than just know about Him? People would say there's an 18-inch difference between the head and the heart. To know Him is to receive Him into your heart. My wife and I were just dating until the day that I said that I loved her and didn't want to live without her. I asked her to become my wife. Marriage is a picture of Christ and His church. We need to say to God, "I want you to have my heart" and He will take it. He'll come inside and the powers of Hell will say, "Paul I know and Jesus I know and, oh oh, you are with them!" Do you know Jesus? Does He know you?

Thoughts From Acts 18 - Part 3

  Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. Acts 18:24-19:7

       I've got a theory on who wrote the book of Hebrews and when I looked it up, I'm not the only one. Adolf Von Harnack proposed it in 1900 and Ruth Hoppin developed it extensively. Wish it was like Spurgeon, John McArthur, or R.C.Sproul but sadly Harnack and Hoppin. I'm going to give some reasons why Priscilla wrote the book of Hebrews.

       First of all, no one knows who wrote it. That in and of itself makes female authorship credible. No one would have canonized a book written by a female in those days. You say, "What about Ruth and Esther?" Either Samuel, Mordecai, Nehemiah or Ezra but not Ruth or Esther. Many women throughout history have been ghost-writers in order to get their books published. I'm not saying she was a ghost-writer because then a male author would be attributed and it sounds like a deceptive way to get a book in the Bible, but the whole female credibility principle carried over to the early 20th century. I think the book was circulating around to the churches and was so inerrant and helpful that it was just accepted as a church father writing, although because of its unknown authorship it was one of the last books to be canonized.

      Second, A lot of people point to Paul as the author because it contains content and phrases that he has used in other epistles. This also would suggest Priscilla because she spent years learning from Paul on a daily basis. She learned so much that a learned scholar like Apollos sat in deference and was instructed on the difference between Old Testament salvation and New Testament salvation, freedom versus law. That is the crux of Hebrews and she thought, if Apollos needs to understand it, other people must be confused, too and judging from the beginning of chapter 19 she was right. Did you know that the epistles are placed in the Bible from longest to shortest? If the church fathers really thought Paul wrote it, they would have placed it after Corinthians. They didn't think he wrote it and neither do I.

    Lastly, she did travel during her lifetime and had connections in the growing churches. She certainly had opportunity to send letters that would be received gladly and with authority because she and her husband were known to be Paul's "right hand 'men'." Like Luke, Paul's traveling companion, their words would have carried weight. Luke got canonized, why not Priscilla?