Standing in the Crowd

Acts 21:37- 22:21

If you were a Jew standing in the crowd listening to Paul’s argument, how open would you be?  I believe it would be similar to a NRA spokesman trying to convert the extreme antigun lobby to changing sides, or a seller of meat products trying to get Peta,  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to try eating a good corn fed steak at Taste of Texas.  With one exception, it is recorded by doctor Luke that they listened to Paul, and for a good amount of the defense it seemed like he was persuading them, then he mentioned the (G word) and I’m not talking about God and the crowd turn from crowd to mob.

It might be helpful to look at what Paul did right, in case you find yourself in a mob that is trying to kill you and a Roman cohort comes to arrest you, putting you in chains.  Paul waits till he is in the barracks to ask for permission to speak to the tribune.  This is the record of what took place:  As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying: “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.  (Acts 21:37-40)  (Acts 22:1-5)

Now the following is Paul’s account of being confronted by Jesus Christ about noon when a great light blinded him and he heard these words: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  And he answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’  “Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.  “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ (Acts 22:9-16 ESV)

Now the rest of the story; Paul returned to Jerusalem, to the temple and was praying when he fell into a trance and saw Jesus saying to him, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’  Paul makes an argument for staying but Jesus tells him to leave.  Now this is where you and I can find truth that often fly’s in the face of the many name it and claim it preachers of our time.  When Jesus speaks and we obey, often it brings the worse out in religious folks, and that’s what happened to this crowd.  This is what turned the crowd into a mob; “And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 22:21 ESV)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Stand for Truth

Acts 21: 26-40

Have you ever been harassed by a person or group of people, I have and it all happen in the seven grade.  In the seventh grade, I was one of the smallest boys, and had a mouth that was not able to back up my cocky attitude.  That is a recipe for bringing trouble into your life, and I did attract some young hooligans that began to want me to back up my attitude with action.  It seemed like for that whole school year it mattered not where I was they found me and all they wanted was to fight, and I was not smart enough to just get whipped and have it over with, so for a year I lived in fear of that group of boys.  At some point down the road I learned to not be so cocky and to keep a little better control of my mouth, and some of those boys and I began to get along. 

But that was not the case for the apostle Paul, his harassers were Jews from Asia seeing him in the temple with these four Christian Jews who Paul was paying for their purifying along with himself, and the seven days were almost completed.  This is doctor Luke’s account of what happen: “When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”

(Acts 21:27-36 ESV)

Not one thing they said was true, the mob had no understanding of truth, but mobs are never the place one should look for truth!  In the United States, and in an election year, and to our shame as a people and nation, truth is not what is being looked at.  What is so shameful is that often it comes from people who go by the name of Christian.  What can we learn from this Scripture; to examine all that is said and once someone has lied publicly, we should no longer be part of that group, but stand with the Paul’s of our day, stand for the truth.  For were there is truth there is freedom!

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

To Whom?

Matthew 12: 43-45

“ When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

To whom is Jesus addressing this, and the answer is any and all evil and adulterous generations.  What signs should we look for to make sure that we are not the generation Jesus is addressing?  First and foremost, is the sign of unbelief in the Scriptures, in the promises and the warnings, in the commands and the teachings that are found in God’s word?  The Scriptures are very clear about spiritual adultery, let us begin with the book of Judges 2:16-17, “Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.  Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them.  They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.”  If for some reason you forgot that one of God’s names is “Jealous” then look at 1 Chronicles 5:25, “But they broke faith with the God of their fathers, and whored after the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.”

So what happens to such a people?  God allows them for a while to bask in the pleasure of these little gods, but then comes judgment.  As you look at the nation that you live in what do you see, a turning to the gods of foolishness, the gods of greed, the gods of selfishness, the gods of pleasure, and away from the God of Creation, if so are you experiencing judgment? 

I live in such a nation and we are experiencing God’s Judgment, in that He is allowing us to destroy all that made the United States of America a great nation.  If I began to list the tearing down of the foundation of this country in my lifetime, the list would be far too long.  Is there hope?  Yes, but it lies in the people who are followers of Christ, not in our President, or in what party is in control of the Congress.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Standing with your Christian Friends

Acts 21:8-22

One of the joys of this life is to reconnect with an old friend, or to meet someone who you have a kindred spirit with.  I was not able to find any account of the two men meeting until Paul’s third trip, but we do know that both men had ministries in Caesarea, and that Paul came to Caesarea on his second missionary journey and again on his third missionary journey, and Philip, it seems, had lived there shortly after his encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch.   So we have Philip in Caesarea maybe before Paul’s conversion,  if not very shortly there after, so it seems very likely they knew each other at that time, and Philip may have been on Saul’s hit list.  Now it is the third and last missionary trip where we find Paul staying in Philip’s home and Philip has four daughters who are not married who we are told prophesied.  From Caesarea to Jerusalem is about 53 miles as the crow flies, and doctor Luke tells us that a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.  This is the account from Acts 21:11, “And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

           

It matters not the time you have known a person, you want to keep them from harms way and that is what the people and doctor Luke tried to do, but this was Paul’s reply: “Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

(Acts 21:13-14 ESV) 

If you have falsely believed that (Spin) was created by Bill Clinton, you are so wrong, it began in the garden of Eden with the master of lies, and those who serve him just do what they see and hear from their father the devil.  It seems like the brothers in Jerusalem were encountering lies about Paul long before he came to Jerusalem, and this was one of them: “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. (Acts 21:20-24)

What application can we apply to our lives from this teaching; first and foremost we should stand with our Christian friends in what they believe God has called them to do.  It gets much harder if that friend is our child or grandchild, in that we want them to do the will of God, but we want that to be without any hardship or pain, but often the will of God looks past the pain as the Father did that with His Son, so that all who would put trust in the work of the cross would be saved by the blood of His Son and our Lord.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A time for updating our Training

Acts 21: 1-16

Jan and I have a trip coming up and it is important to share our itinerary with family and a few friends, and we are looking forward to going places we have never been and seeing things and people we have never seen.  In Acts 21:1-16 we have the itinerary of the apostle Paul, and he is returning to places he has been and people he has ministered to.  His agenda is to return to Jerusalem, and his reasoning is what he shared with the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:22-23, “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.”

           

Doctor Luke gives a detailed report of Paul’s travel and the ports that he went to.   First, was Cos, next day was Rhodes, and from there to Patara, where Paul found a ship going to Phoenicia and he sailed.  On seeing Cyprus, they went to Syria and Tyre, for the ship was unloading its cargo.  So Paul sought out the disciples and stayed with them for seven days.  Now this is somewhat confusing that the Spirit spoke through them telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, until you stop and ask the Holy Spirit why?  It seems that Paul chose to go to Jerusalem, the Spirit of God was not compelling him to go, but God used the religious Jews in Jerusalem to place Paul in front of many leaders and to have him chained to Roman soldiers where many of them would become disciples of Jesus Christ.  It was also in Rome where much of the New Testament was written by the apostle Paul while sitting in a jail cell.

Often, we forget that our Creator gave us a will and if you use your imagination to place yourself in Paul’s shoes, he’s been beaten and imprisoned more than once, he’s been run out of town, and he has been left for dead after a stoning that only God could have saved him from.  And it is only after Paul is imprisoned in Rome that he shares something that makes it clear why he had to go to Jerusalem.  “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.”  (Romans 9:1-4 ESV)

As Paul talked with the elders of Ephesus, men whom he loved, men who I’m sure were saying, Paul please do not return to Jerusalem.  We have this account from doctor Luke,  “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”  (Acts 20:24-27 ESV) 

What a contrast to most Christians living in 2012, and to my shame, that also includes this writer.  Most of us put great value on our person, and often Christians as they get older have no kingdom goals, but most have many selfish goals with no thought of finishing this great race of Christ living His life in us, and us asking for His purpose and training for that day, so that we receive a “well done you good and faithful servant.”   It is time for many of us to go back to the basics as we get back into our training.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God's assessment of Success

Acts 20: 33-36

What benchmarks are you using to measure a successful life, and is it in keeping with God’s assessment of success?  “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)  Many a person tells you they have a life verse, if I did, it would be Micah 6:8, because since I became aware that I could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by placing faith in His action of buying me out of sin by His death on the cross, this verse in Micah always comes back as my marching orders.

As I read the verses in Acts chapter 20, it became clear that the apostle Paul was sharing that his life was an example of Micah 6:8, after his encounter with Christ.  He begins sharing with the elders who have lived with and around him for sometime the following; “I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

(Acts 20:33-35 ESV)

The apostle Paul, a man with flesh did not listen to what flesh tells each one of us, you deserve or you earned the right to demand, but instead we are told that Paul reminded them that he was not in it for money, or for their stuff, but that he worked hard to take care of his necessities.  Work has become something of a bad word in our culture and most children and even teenagers living in the USA have no understanding of work.  That explains much of the bad press that comes when they reach adulthood and someone suggest they get a job.  In God’s culture, and please remember He is our designer, He created man to work and to find fulfillment in doing so.

Paul also understood that helping those who had needs was in keeping with Micah 6:8, and to remember that it is not optional when it comes to widows and orphans.  Once more that thought is not in keeping with our culture, you only need to look at the people who run for office in this country and see how little they give and to what causes they give to.  These same ones are often the one telling us we need to give more to government so they can make people depend on government handouts.  These are evil people, they do not have any understanding of Micah 6:8, and it is a shame to say that many who go by the name of Christian have the same mindset.

When will Christians start living life as if Jesus tells the truth?  It’s late, it’s dark, and this world is passing away, and we are called to be light in the darkness.  Is it not time to remember that Jesus calls you friend and He has also promised you that He would live in you and you in Him?  “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

(2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV)  What benchmarks are you using to rate success?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

On Kingdom Business

These sixteen verses are a summary of Paul’s travels through Macedonia and Greece.  After the town clerk had returned the town of Ephesus back to some order, Paul called the disciples and encouraged them and said his farewell and departed for Macedonia.  Doctor Luke gives this account that Paul went through the regions encouraging and then he came to Greece.  We are told that after spending three months in Greece the Jews once more plotted against Paul and he left the area.

We have never known an apostle other than what we have read about them in the Scriptures, but we have seen men like Billy Graham who God has called to go all over the world to preach the message of Christ the hope of glory, the redeemer of sin.  They are the headliners, they get the press but it is so important to remember that in the church we have many members but one body, and that each of those members has a role and for many in this world it will often feel as if your role is of little importance to the kingdom of God.

Picking up doctor Luke’s account in verse four, you will see him mention the people that were very much in the center of God’s will doing kingdom business, but many of those names will never make it into a sermon, they will not be remembered by men, but in the eternal kingdom of heaven they will not be forgotten.  “Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.” (Acts 210: 4-6)  God had arranged an advance team to go before and to prepare, to pray and to work with Paul in his missionary travel.

Look at how the Holy Spirit tells the story of Paul’s longwinded speech and a terrible accident and how God used it to show His hand and love for these followers of Christ.

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.” (Acts 20:7-12 ESV)

As you read the next three verses you will see others used in kingdom business and you will also see Paul making decisions so that he could, if possible, be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.  What application can we apply from this teaching; we all have a very important role in the kingdom, it may not look or even seem important but if that is where God has called you it is of great value to the kingdom of God.  Do not allow the world’s measuring stick to control or put value on what God has called you to do.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Riots can be harmful to your Health

Acts 19:28-41

Have you ever been in a riot?  I hope not because it is not a place where you will find reason or compassion, but in the seventh grade I got involved with some kids who, like myself, were not attending school in search of knowledge.  We seemed to all have one thing in common, we liked attention and most of us knew the vice-principle and he also knew our backside with his attention getter, the paddle. The paddle was 1 inch thick with holes drilled in it and it was about 3 feet long, and did I tell you that it was about 4 inches wide at the top where the holes were and, and it had a nice handle so that the vice-principle would be able to keep both hands on it.  The paddle was such a good attention getter that all the coaches also had one made in wood shop by a student; there is something very evil about making someone design a weapon that will be used against them.

I’m sure you are wondering what this has to do with a riot, well let me tell you it all came about from Tyrone, who heard that a school in California had experienced a riot.  So being the great brain trust that Tyrone was, he came up with a plan that we would steal the teacher’s chalk and write all over the side-walks that a riot was coming to Driscoll Jr. High school on a date yet to be determined.  And Tyrone’s army of discontents was formed, and I’m sure that many like my self did not have a clue what a riot was and sure had no intent of being part of one, but it was fun to sneak around and write on the side-walks. 

One day after about two weeks of being late for class and playing with the chalk a few of us got to our gym class a little late and were confronted by a young coach, Mr. Richardson.  He said boys the jig is up and that Jimmy was first, and I do remember that when that paddle hit his butt his feet left the floor and his head hit the wire cage they called the coaches’ office and big tears were running down Jimmy’s face. Let me tell you it was at that moment that I got converted, I was 100% against riots, against chalk and  for whatever the coach believed in.

In my case it only took two licks from the board and I saw the light that those who had authority over me were to be listened to and obeyed.  You may be wondering how can this long story of a rebel in the seven grade have anything to do with Acts 19:28-41, let me explain: Demetrius the silversmith and his trade union were in need of a riot so they put this spin on the story that Paul and his followers were out to destroy the goddess Artemis.  Dr. Luke reports, that the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed together into the theater and found these buddies of Paul, but Paul was else where, so they grabbed Gaius, and Aristarchus who were Paul’s companions in travel.  This is doctor Luke’s account of what took place next: “Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:32-34 ESV)

You get the scene, much like a bunch of seven graders who did not have a clue about what they wanted, and it took a paddle to given them new direction, and it took the town clerk to expose truth and put order where there was only emotional confusion.  It is a great read to see how the town clerk took control of a mob and brought about order; it can be found in Acts 19:35-41.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What people will do to save Wealth & Power

Acts19: 21-27

I spent forty years of my life working for a company whose success came from technology, the development of new products.  Often, we found that we were competing with our own products.  So that made me wonder what it would be like to make your living in an area where something better was replacing it, can you imagine being in the stagecoach business when it seemed that everything was your competitor?  First, was the steamboat and it took some of your business, and then came the train and it became your largest competitor, and the death nail was the automobile.  So what happens if you are being replaced because someone is saying your product is of no value and it never has been, and down deep in the recesses of your heart and mind you know that to be true, but you and the members of your trade have and are making a very good living off the product?

That is the story doctor Luke is sharing with us about a silversmith named Demetrius, and his product was the silver idols of Artemis.  Do you recall Paul addressing the men in the Areopagus: “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”(Acts 17:22-25)

So if you are in the trade of making images that are designed for temples and homes, you build stories around these images such as the story of Artemis; she was called the daughter of Leto and Zeus, and the twin of Apollo.  She was called the goddess of the wilderness, the fertility goddess.  Listen to Demetrius as he calls together his trade buddies: “About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

(Acts 19:23-27 ESV)

Demetrius and his fellow tradesmen are in crisis, they are about to lose some serious money, so like the politician of our day when it looks like truth may expose them they turn on the spin, and that is what Demetrius is doing.  And guess what, it worked for them much like it does today, with the lazy and uneducated who can let someone work them into an emotional frenzy.  Read Acts 19: 28-41, to see what can happen when men will go to any means to save their wealth or their power.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Can good come out of Evil?

Acts 19:15-20

Have you ever ask; can good come out of evil?  My first thought is that good always prevails over evil, but often in the middle of evil attacking in our family, our place of worship, our government, our schools, we lose heart.  We forget that God is above our main street, and we lose heart because, we cannot see what He is doing because of the large building blocking our view.  And it is going to take all the faith you have to trust God, that He has never lost sight of you, not even when you are hiding in the shadows of those big buildings hoping that evil will not see you, your God has not lost sight of you, and you are under His care.

Often, when God is showing Himself strong in a believer’s life others who may have ministry responsibility may feel left out or they may become envious and out of that heart attitude comes all kinds of evil.  This is such an account of the seven sons of the high priest, the sons of Sceva.  First, we see God using Paul’s earthsuit in power of both speech but also in the healing and the driving out of evil spirits, and the high priest and his sons we not for the moment the center of the Jewish life.  Now when you are dad has been the top dog of the community and some new guy is getting all the acclaim, it can cause jealousy, or in their case, the sons of Sceva, in that they were itinerant Jewish exorcists who must have traveled to drive out evil spirits.  But under whose authority did the sons of Sceva operate, in that we have no record of them summiting to or receiving anything from Jesus Christ.  In my Holman Study Bible, page 901 we have this note: “Itinerant Jewish exorcists: attempted to use Jesus’ name to command evil spirits.  Ancient magic traditions often involved the invocation of divine names.”

Now if you are one of those coming to Paul and you see these guys trying to get part of the action, before you get emotionally involved stop and pray that God will show Himself strong and that His name will be praised.  We have the consequences trivially using the name of Jesus, the evil spirit in the man answer in this way “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”  And then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them and beat all of them and they ran from the house naked.  Now naked in public was a big no, no, since Jews shunned nudity.  So good came out of evil, yes but now the rest of the story.

The rest of the story by doctor Luke: “And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:17-20 ESV)

If your main street is very dark at this hour and it seems like the lights will never return, and you hunker down in some corner, remember; “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5 ESV)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God is always up to something New

Acts 19:11-20

The first thing to pop into our mind while reading the Scriptures may not be what we should dwell on.  As I read this morning about people taking the handkerchiefs that had touched the apostle Paul, they took them to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.  It took me back to the 50’s when charlatans sent out letters to folks claiming that for $25.00 they would send you a handkerchief that would have all kinds of powers. 

As you read these verses, you will not find Paul instructing anyone to bring a handkerchief or apron to him so that he could touch it.  When the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus and was healed, we do not find Jesus teaching that others needed to touch his clothing.  In Paul’s case, it was the Spirit of God and the faith of the people that gave power to these instruments, and in the case of Jesus in that He is God, it was the faith of a very desperate lady who had gone to doctors for years and she believed that her healing would happen the moment she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.

This is doctor Luke’s account of what took place; “And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (Acts 19:11-12 ESV)  You might call it the first non-profit healing because it was God showing His power through the apostle. 

But what happens when we see God doing a work like this?  It has been my observation that much like in this story, religious leaders wanted in on the action, and the next thing you see is a video conference of many churches all coming together to conform to what God is up to in some other part of the nations.  And often these become just another program with no power, but everyone feels good because they are busy doing the work of God.  Why do we not ask the question, Father is this your plan for our area, it sure sounds good and it seems to be working at such and such, but is that what you want for our local body?  Father we only want your best, and then wait until the Spirit of the living God gives you direction for your church.

It seems like God was not pleased when the sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva tried putting into practice the demanding of evil spirits to come out of a person.  This is the account in Acts 19:13-16, “Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” 

           

As I read this, it seems as if the Spirit put this thought in my mind; the bigger problem is that most in the church do not believe in evil spirits, so they cannot identify with these verses.  Have you ever ask where did they go; the evil spirits that Jesus and the apostles address so often in Scripture?  Could it be that many who are teachers and preachers do not believe that Jesus tells the truth, that they no longer believe the Scriptures where we are instructed to do the following: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”(Ephesians 6:11-12 ESV)

Now preachers and teachers, if you say you believe then stand on that belief, call things as God calls them, it will not make you popular, it may cost you but a demon that is not addressed is one that will continue to destroy the lives of your flock.  If you have not read Acts 19:17-20, please do so now and see what happens when the Spirit of God shows up in all His glory and power, not some program from some other area.  Do you recall the great handkerchief movement among all the other apostles, in that God was using it in Paul’s ministry?  The answer is no, it did not happen, because God is always up to something new.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The “all” in your ministry

Acts 19:1-10

I bet you know someone who reads the last chapter of a book before beginning to read the book, you may even be such a person, but for me I can’t, it would ruin it for me.  But looking at these first ten verses of Acts 19, it seemed wise to begin at the last two verses and work back to the beginning.  Doctor Luke recorded, that Paul spent two years teaching at the hall of Tyrannus, but little is known about the hall of Tyrannus and so far they have not been recovered, we can only assume that it was a place where people met to share and teach.  What took place over those two years of sharing about the Christ, who Paul met on the road to Damascus, is revealed by doctor Luke in verse 10, “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” 

Now if you knew me well, I sometime let the salesman come out and have the tendency to over sell, but we do not find that to be true in Scripture, for we are told these truths in the Bible; “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)  And look at what the apostle Peter shared with us on this subject; “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV)  So when the good doctor uses the word “all” the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks, he meant all.  What a work of God, you nor I can fathom such a thing, it comes back to my favorite saying; “But God.”

Now getting back to verse one where doctor Luke tells the story; “And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.”  (Acts 19:1-7 ESV)

Having twelve men to mentor must have been of great encouragement to Paul and yet the desire of his heart was to see the Jews come to Christ, so for three months he went to the synagogue and spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.  What can you and I learn from this?  What often looks like an opportunity can fall short of God’s plan, and how true that was, and when the Jews began to speak evil of the teaching of Christ before the congregation, Paul withdrew from them and took the disciples with him. 

Often, we are reluctant to leave a ministry, and for a good common sense reason, but that will lead you into many conflicts God never desired.  Learning to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and to ask God to increase and to let you decrease so that He can use your body to reach the “all” in your ministry is very important.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Being Eloquent but void of the Spirit

Acts 18: 24-28

If you had been there this is what you may have heard from others of like mind as you; there is a new preacher in town and is he good, he is one eloquent man.  What they were saying is Apollos had the ability to speak both beautifully and forcefully, he was expressive and persuasive and he handled the Scriptures correctly.  One day as he was speaking in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila heard him and though he was both moving and powerful in speech they saw a need to explain to him the ways of God more accurately.

Do you recall the large numbers that came out to John the Baptist to be baptized and what was John’s message to those coming: “He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8 ESV)  When was the last time your preacher used that approach, calling the congregation a bunch of snakes?  That is what John did, but it was not John that drew them to himself, it was the Spirit of God and the same Spirit brought conviction on them and it was all about repenting and changing from a me first life to a God first life.  Apollos was not part of the upper room disciples, and he must not have been at Pentecost, because he only had the baptism of John, and that was a baptism of repentance.  And I am sure as Priscilla and Aquila began to share with Apollos about the Holy Spirit, he may have been reminded of what John had said; “As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:15-16 ESV)

This is what they explained to Apollos, that it was God’s Spirit living in them that had the ability to change men.  In that they had sat under Paul’s teaching, I am sure they shared with Apollos some of these truths: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

(Galatians 2:15-16 ESV)  I also believe they would have shared Galatians 2:20-21, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20-21 ESV)

Now we know that Apollos wished to go to Achaia, and that the brothers not only encouraged him but wrote to the disciples to welcome him.  And doctor Luke gave this account of what took place in Achaia; “When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:27b-28 ESV)

I am not eloquent in speech, I do not even speak Texan that well, so it’s clear that I fall short with the English language, but the Spirit of God lives in me and if you have invited Him into your life He is also in you.  So we have this guarantee: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(2 Peter 1:3-8 ESV)  It all comes down to this, do we believe Jesus tells the truth?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Used by God - Not caused by God

Acts 18:18-23

These verses address Paul leaving Corinth with a couple of Jews that were also tent makers like him.  They set sail for Syria and Paul stopped at Cenchreae where he cut his hair, some say he shaved his head, cut or shaved, it was because of a vow he had made.  Now Cenchreae is a seaport of Corinth on the eastern side of the isthmus. The next port was Ephesus and Paul left his friends and went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.  This group ask Paul to say longer but he told them no, but that he would return if it was God’s will.

So often, what we see as total darkness, like the stoning death of Stephen by the Jews, is used by God, but not caused by God, to expand the gospel.  Philip was one of the seven chosen to serve the people, but upon Steven’s death and Saul’s ravaging the church, the church was scattered and Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them.  Much later Philip came to Caesarea and that must have been the beginning of the Church in that area.  We find Paul being sent later to Caesarea in order to escape the Jews from Jerusalem who wanted to kill him, but that was just a short visit on his way to Tarsus. 

Now getting back to the story of Paul in Acts 18:22-23, “When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.”

My goal in writing is to look deeper at the things of God, not so much to get knowledge, but to find understanding, to look for application about how to please my Lord.  I am guilty of attending many a Bible study, but walking away with no understanding on how to apply that study to my walk with Christ.  When Paul is talking to the church in Corinth about food offered to idols, he said something that often I forget, “Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-3 ESV)  A puffed or arrogant person no matter if they are a Christian, is not someone that most want to be around.  But someone who applies the teaching of Christ and His love is flowing out of them, is a blessing to those they come in contact with. 

So what can we learned from these Scriptures?  What seems bad to the bone may be used of God to open a new door for you to show the love of Jesus Christ.  Sometimes God will send you off with dear friends only to guide you away from them to travel on the road of life without them.  That sometimes even when it looks as if the group you are sharing faith with is open, God may have other plans for you, so be careful not to get to a point where you will not move when God says to move. 

In that I do not want to lead anyone away from studying the Scripture, it is a wise person who goes to the Scriptures daily, for in them we find truth and life.  But truth that is not applied to our life is very dangerous.  We find this counsel from the apostle Paul to young Timothy, “Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

(2 Timothy 2:14-15 ESV)

Bob Rice

Who's Mission are you on?

Acts 18:5-11

Do you recall a man named Ananias who God gave a vision and in that vision God spoke to him and Ananias said, “Here I am, Lord.”  And this is what the Lord said to him in that vision: “And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Acts 9:11-16

Paul has been handpicked by Jesus to carry the message of God’s great love for all men, and the message was that He sent Jesus as a baby into the womb of a young girl named Mary who was a virgin, and how the Son of God lived among the Jewish people and ministered to them and died on a cross for the sins of the world.  But look what happens to Paul when that message was given in the synagogue.  When Paul proclaimed to the Jews Christ raised and at the right hand of the Father, the religious guys always opposed him by beating, prison, or stoning.  Now in each of these places some came to accept Christ, both Jews and Gentiles, but each time he was forced to leave.  Now he is in Corinth and once more is reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath, and trying to persuade the Jews and Greeks to believe that Jesus is the Christ.  And once more they opposed and reviled, yes they began to attack Paul verbally and Silas and Timothy had arrived to support him and minister with him, when Paul said, I’ve had it.

This was doctor Luke’s account of what Paul did; “And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (Acts 18:6 ESV)  The road of the Christian life can often seem under construction with many dangers, many disappointments, but often, instead of getting frustrated we need to stop and ask this question, “Lord, am I on my mission, or doing Your mission?”

Doctor Luke has given us insight into Jesus calling of Paul in Acts 9:11-16, and now the Lord has to show Paul in a vision the following, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:9-11 ESV)

Maybe it is time for you and I to ask God to give us a vision of our calling, it may be that you stop to rest at one of the many rest areas on your Christian life, or you are taking your eyes off the road and the calling of your life and need a Silas or a Timothy to come along beside you as encourager and to remind you that God never said the Christian life would be easy, in fact, Jesus was very clear in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  When we take a detour, often they are not designed as part of God’s plan and for many it may take years to get back on the path of life, but it is there that we have peace.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice