This blog began as documentation of my journey into formal ministry. Now that I have received a call it will continue to function as a place for me to address concerns, celebrations and anything else that might catch my fancy. Please remember to "Be A Blessing To Someone Today"! God Bless, Roy
Here in the writings of the Author of Luke & Acts, we read about a "Battle of the Gods" if you will. The slave girl is imbued with a spirit believed to be aligned with the Greek god Apollos. This spirit of Apollo is cast out with ease by Paul with a command in the name of Christ. This can easily be interpreted as a sign that Christ is superior to Apollo. And to take it further if this spirit aligned with Apollo is proclaiming Paul's God as the "most High God" then that means that the Emperor (remember the cult of the Emperor in Roman culture) is not the highest god but rather the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac is the "most High God". This would be treasonist language in the Roman culture and thus the people say: 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” Once Paul and Silas are in jail then we have the miracle of the earthquake that frees them... to learn more about that take a listen to the sermon. Have a blessed week and remember to... Be a blessing to someone today! In Christ, Roy
2Acts 16:16-34 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Paul and Silas in Prison 16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you[a] a way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer[b] called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord[c] to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. Footnotes: a) Acts 16:17 Other ancient authorities read to us b) Acts 16:29 Gk He c) Acts 16:32 Other ancient authorities read word of God
This past Sunday (April 24th) I preached over the text found in the 11th Chapter of Acts, verses 1-18. This was a two parts in one sermon really in that the first half was given from a manuscript and the second half was done in my more usual informal style. I've included the video of the sermon below for those that may choose to take a listen. In these verses, we find the beginnings of the Early Church reaching out to the gentiles. Now the earliest recruits to come into the Church from the gentile ranks were almost entirely from those gentiles who were already 'God-Fearers', those who were practicing the ways of the Jewish people but who had not yet made the final step into becoming fully Jewish. For many of these potential converts, the stumbling block was the act of circumcision. The inclusion of these gentiles within the 'Jewish Christian' or 'Jesus Movement' was a sticking spot for the Apostles and even more so for the other Jewish sects of their time. This continued recruitment of gentile God-Fearers who did not completely convert to Judaism, played no small part in the ultimate fracturing of the 'Jesus sect' from its parent Judaism. I won't belabor this point any further, but I do talk about it more in the sermon. We are all too often guilty of excluding others from our realm of potential recruits into Christianity because we have some form of bias or another. They don't look like we do, they don't talk like we do, or I don't like him/her so I'm not going to talk to them about my Christian faith. All of these are sins of omission, we've purposefully and for our own personal comfort or angst discounted an individual or individuals from our duty to take the word of Christ to all the people.
Peter in these verses retells how he too went through a change of heart from exclusion to inclusion. Of course, as I mention in the sermon, even Peter was not immune to backsliding as we learn in the letter called Galatians. There Paul relays how under pressure from men sent by James that Peter reverted to discriminating towards the gentile converts. We too are all too prone to bowing to social pressure in our perception of others. Let us strive to remember that our God is a God for all, and not just for those whom we feel are worthy of God's love... Be a blessing to someone today! In His constant grace & love, Roy
Acts 11: 1-18 NRSV 1 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. 11 At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all. Amen.
