The Other Six Days

Paul has endurance and passion. He speaks all night and travels the next day with Jerusalem in his sites.
He sums up his purpose–he has endured everything, he has proclaimed the message to everyone, he has maintained integrity. He warns them that the message will become distorted to entice people to follow it. He warns them to be alert.

How does that show up, distorting the truth? May we be alert as we trust the message of his grace.

That second part is the part that feels less fearful: v32, the message builds us up.

We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. – Acts 20:13-16

Paul must have experienced constant fatigue in his ministry. He traveled an estimated 12,000 miles. He was beaten with rods, stoned and imprisoned. There were riots. He had a chronic illness (a thorn in the flesh – 2 Corinthians 12:7). He was a bi-vocational missionary.

The pandemic was exhausting for many church leaders. I remember reading that as many as 30%% of pastors considered resigning during the pandemic. The restless nights of anxiety, learning the livestream technology. Going back and forth with the CDC and the local health department bodies about regulations. Listening to the frustrations of those who refuse the masks and those who insist on them. Wondering how empty seats were people who had actually “left” our congregation.

Paul’s weariness reminds me of pastors who were in the heat of pandemic ministries.

Today, the silversmithing business in Ephesus is threatened by Paul’s preaching. Demetrius expresses concern also that the chief divinity of Ephesus will be “deprived of her majesty”— the mixed motives are interesting to me. There’s the real reason, his own livelihood. Then there’s the reason that maybe masks the real reason, the honor of the goddess.

The crowd also seems concerned about tourism and livelihood also, and also about honor of the goddess. So complicated to know what really is the reason they are upset.

The town clerk quiets everyone down; he wants disputes to be settled in court, not in mayhem and riots.

They arrive in Beroea and like normally, begin preaching in the synagogue. The Bereans searched the scriptures to see if Paul’s word was true.

Troublemakers follow from Thessalonica, so they send Paul off to Athens where he’s deeply distressed to see the city full of idols. He proclaims Jesus and the resurrection. Some people believed.

When presented with the message, sometimes people believe immediately. Sometimes they say we’ll hear more later. Sometimes they express curiosity. Sometimes they scoff. Sometimes they join in the work.

They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” (Acts 16:37)

I love the ending of chapter 16: The authorities wanted Paul and Silas set free. But, Paul says, not without justice.

He demands an apology because he and Silas were both Roman citizens who never should have been subjected to such treatment without a trial. The authorities give them an apology, lead them to the edge of the city, and ask them to leave in order to save face. Instead, Paul and Silas stick around for a while.

It reminded me of the movie IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER starring Daniel Day Lewis. Gerry Conton is one of four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford Pub Bombings. After his exoneration, is asked to leave by the back door for “security reasons.” Instead, he goes out the front door to be in the public eye.

Paul sends a letter to the gentile churches to clarify that circumcision isn’t necessary. The “essentials” Paul lists are:

• Refusing to eat food offerings to idols,
• Blood
• Meat from strangled animals
• Sexual immorality

There must be a context because I can think of other essentials that seem like they would also be right, or I can see that nothing really is necessary at all to list. The whole point is the sacrifice of Jesus did the job. Not the sacrifice of Jesus plus not eating blood. I don’t understand why Paul adds anything at all.

I can see that the consciences of believers soften as they listen and trust and obey. So they should come to a conviction that sexual immorality (e.g.,) is inconsistent with relationship with God. It’s not a rule to follow. It’s a natural consequence of transformation in their minds and hearts. So I don’t understand why Paul doesn’t just trust the Spirit to convict.

Proverbs 16 1-3 speaks to this: people may be pure in their own eyes but the Lord examines their motives. –i see that we can deceive ourselves, but it does come out with humble submission in prayer.

We can’t control people. We have to trust them in their relationship with God that as they are committed to growth and that as God is delighted to transform them, they will make changes that align with their own consciences

Acts 15’s gathering of the church’s leaders preserved unity. It prevented a segregation of two different churches: one for gentiles and one for Jews. Unity is easy to propose, but as history demonstrates is hard to achieve, and very difficult to maintain.

The controversy centered on one question: Do gentile believers in Jesus observe the Torah as do the Jewish believers?

Their Bible was the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It stated explicitly that circumcision was an everlasting covenant requirement for all, including gentiles (Genesis 17:1–14). During that time converts to Judaism were required to be circumcised, so it was reasonable to follow the precedent that was already at work. What changed their minds? It was the testimonies.

Gentiles were receiving the Gospel and were receiving the Holy Spirit without circumcision. The eunuch in Acts 8 and Cornelius in Acts 10 are prime examples of the Holy Spirit doing a new work, one that transcended traditions.