Acts 19-21 & Proverbs 12:15-28

Acts 19-21

Now we begin the reading of the details of Paul's third missionary journey.  This time, he will spend much of his time in the city of Ephesus (about two years).  Many of the cities that we read about Paul visiting and starting churches in bear some of the names of the letters that Paul wrote that later became other New Testament books in our bible.  The church of the Ephesians is one of those letters.  As Paul made many lasting relationships with the Christians in Ephesus, many people became Christians as a result.  The people of Ephesus worshipped the pagan goddess Diana (or also known as Artemis) who was the goddess of fertility.  Paul utilized these pagan temples as places for public preaching the Gospel.  

After making his way through Macedonia and Greece, Paul turned toward Jerusalem to return with an offering from the Asian churches.  Along the way, he made several stops and several of the churches urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem for they were told in their prophecies that if Paul did go, it would be the last time they would see him.  Paul went on against their urging for he felt strongly that God was sending him to Jerusalem. 

Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, some Ephesian Jews who witnessed Paul preaching in Ephesus, gathered a riot to beat up Paul.  An uproar ensued and caused the roman officials to arrest Paul.  Upon his arrest, Paul requested to speak to the crowd and they allowed him to do so. 

Proverbs 12:15-28

There is one proverb that jumps to my attention from this reading.  It is Proverbs 12:25--"Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."  I have always understood the first half of the proverb.  Worry is not a major weakness for me.  My philosophy has always been, "if I have no control, no worry is needed.  If I have control, then do what is in my power for that which I am tempted to worry."  But it is the second half of the proverb that jumps to me.  "An encouraging word cheers a person up."  Why would the writer place these two together?  Perhaps if someone you know is worrying, then we should do our part to encourage them and cheer them up.  Or else perhaps it is a challenge to do away with the daily worries and replace them with an encouraging word.  What do you think?  Post your comments.  

Acts 16-18 & Proverbs 12:1-14

Acts 16-18

After returning from Jerusalem conference with what the apostles and elders had decided on the matters of Jewish law, Paul set out on another mission not only to carry the letter, but also to preach the good news of Jesus to more gentiles.  This time, he and Silas set out on the journey.  Their travels are on the map below.  

Occasionally you will read a reference to "WE" for example in Acts 16:11 "We boarded a boat at Troas..."  The change in reference is probably due to at this point the author of Acts named Luke joins Paul in his journey.  Notice throughout the book where Luke joins.  This offers credibility to his written account for some of it is first-hand, eye witness accounts.  

Proverbs 12:1-14

Proverbs 12:1 opens with a charge for instruction: "To learn, you must love instruction; it is stupid to hate correction" (NLT).   As we have been reading through the Proverbs, are you yielding to the correction of the Scripture?  There is much application of God's word, especially in this book.  We can mold our lives to be like the "wise" one and not the "fool".  We can learn to become more generous, to guide our children, to listen to advice and, to speak the truth.

Acts 13-15 & Proverbs 11:16-31

**Due to the hospitalization of my Father-in-Law, I have been behind in many of my responsibilities including posting the blog.  I am now going to catch up my thoughts and reflections concerning our daily readings in the Bible.  I apologize for my being behind.  God bless you in your reading! 

Acts 13-15

As Paul and Barnabas had finished their work in Jerusalem, they returned to the church in Antioch which lied North of Jerusalem in the province of Syria.  It served as a hub for Paul in his missionary journeys westward into Central Asia and Western Europe.  The church in Antioch was the first non-Jewish church which believed strongly in the mission of bringing the Gospel to Gentile people.  It was in Antioch that the name "Christian" was given to followers of Christ (Acts 11:19-26).  Following the map below, you can see the path that Paul chose on his first missionary journey throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).  He circled through cities, first going to the Jewish synagogues to share the good news.  Why do you think this was his method?  Probably because these people already had a belief in one God and a foundational belief in the coming Messiah.  Paul's message is clear: "The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus!" (Acts 18:28)

In Acts 15, there is a dispute between Jewish Christians who believed that in order to be saved, you must keep the whole Jewish Law and be circumcised.  Therefore, a council consisting of the Apostles and the Elders of the church at Jerusalem and they drafted a response letter to all churches explaining what would be the requirements regarding the Jewish law for Christians. Disputes arise in churches today many times as a result of ignorance to what God's word says concerning the matter in dispute.  In many cases, the dispute is not even concerning a matter in God's word, but instead a personal preference.  In such cases, men of God who have been selected to serve in positions of leadership in the church assist in resolving such matters.  Wisdom and prayer should always be exercised.  The goal is not a compromise; however, the goal is what is to resolve the conflict in a healthy manner.

Proverbs 11:16-31

As we continue to read the themes and proverbs in this book, continue to note bits of wisdom applicable for your life and the lives of your children.  The theme continues to be a comparison between the wise and the fools.  

Acts 10-12 & Proverbs 11:1-16

Acts 10-12

Until this chapter, the church remained in and around Jerusalem with its members only being Jews.  The Jewish law made it mandatory that Jews remain a distance and do not associate with non-Jews (Gentiles).  This chapter is a pivotal point in the history of the church.  Cornelius is a Gentile Roman Army official who oversees 100 roman soldiers.  His wealth and power would be great.  However, in his time spent outside Jerusalem in the coastal city of Joppa, he began to fear the God of the Jews.  In a vision, God instructs him to send for Peter who is north a few miles in the city of Caesarea.  While this is going on, Peter has a vision of his own.  In his vision, God makes it known that there are no longer "unclean" foods such as pork and other animals that were by law not allowed to be eaten.  This was a preparation for Peter's mindset to be changed concerning association with gentiles as well.  When Peter meets with Cornelius and his household, he begins to preach and many of the same evidences of God pouring out His spirit on the Christians of Jerusalem occurred in Cornelius' house.  

What were  they for?  In the beginnings of the church, there was not yet  the New Testament Bible for the Christians to know God's teachings.  Therefore, God would offer certain spiritual gifts to the Christians to have divine revelation as to what God wanted Christians to know.  They would be coupled with other gifts possessed by other people.  For instance, if one person had the gift of speaking in tongues, it was the gift of someone else to interpret the tongues therefore keeping one man from being able to warp the revelation from God.  

These in and of themselves did not save people though.  As they were showing signs that they had received the gifts of the Spirit, Peter still instructed them to be baptized-which will forgive their sins (Acts 2:38).  

When he left there, he met with the church leaders in Jerusalem to explain how God is now converting gentiles as well as jews.  And about this time, a famine began to spread throughout the land.  There was a church north in a town called Antioch which will send assistance to the church in Jerusalem for the were badly hurting from the famine.  God always uses Christians to help fellow Christians.  We must remember that we do not only belong to the church in our local community; however, we also belong to the global church that is ONE and is GOD'S.

From there, the church in Jerusalem sends more people back to Antioch to spread the good news.  This will begin the first missionary journey by Paul (formerly Saul) in Acts 13.  

  

Proverbs 11:1-16

Many of the proverbs in this chapter offer God's perspective on the consequences and the blessings of right living.  For instance, when one is honest, they are guided and they please God.  However, when they lie and cheat, it angers God and they will be destroyed.  In our society, however, is this always the case?  It seems that people teach more today that if you lie and steal to get ahead, it is okay so long as you do not get caught.  In recent news, there was a Wall Street scandal in which one man squandered $50 Billion of investors money...but he was caught and now it is devastating his life!  Remember the theme of sin in the Bible--it always has its consequences, although not always immediate, they will always see to happen.    I have been writing proverbs on a notecard that I hope to one day spend time teaching my children.  I hope you can find lasting value in some practical application like this for your children or even for yourself! 

Acts 7-9 & Proverbs 10:17-32

Acts 7-9

Upon Stephen's arrest in Acts 6, he is given the opportunity to testify for himself.  When he could have made right the witnesses that were false, he chose instead to tell the crowd which had gathered about Jesus.  His presentation of God's Transforming Story began in the beginning of the Old Testament with Abraham and he built upon the Old Testament teachings to the present day when the people before him persecuted and put Jesus on the cross.  When Stephen made mention of Jesus being in heaven sitting at God's right hand, the Jews became outraged and led in a revolt to stone Stephen.  As he was being stoned, the witnessing Temple Official was Saul.  

Chapter 8 begins the second part of Acts.  Chapters 1-7 was the account of The Church began in JERUSALEM.  Chapter 8 begins the section of the Church spread into JUDEA and SAMARIA.  As persecution grew with intensity against the Christians, many of them left Jerusalem and moved throughout the Roman world.  As they went, they shared the message that Jesus was the Messiah!  One of the guys chosen to serve the tables in chapter 6 was Philip.  Philip left Jerusalem and set out north into Samaria where he spoke of Jesus to everyone he could.  Crowds gathered as he performed miracles which caused the people to believe what he was saying (Acts 8:6).  Philip preached the good news always and it caused many people to believe and be baptized.  

Meanwhile, while Christians began to scatted out of Jerusalem, Saul left to go north to the town called Damascus which was about 150 miles north of Jerusalem.  He wanted to head off the growth of Christianity and stop its growth.  Upon the road while traveling, Jesus appeared in spirit form before Saul and demanded that Saul believe and stop persecuting Christians who believe in Jesus.  He was blinded, given instructions to go into Damascus, and there a Christian helped to restore his sight.  After regaining his sight, Saul was baptized and he too began to preach the good news to people in Damascus and then in Jerusalem when he returned there.  God is going to use Saul to take the Gospel to non-Jewish people (Gentiles) so the church will grow world-wide!  

Proverbs 10:17-32

The proverb continues the contrast between the wise and the fool.  One of the keys to being wise is knowing when to talk and when to shut up (10:19-20).  One of the verses I have taken to heart is Proverbs 10:20 which speaks of blessings from God do not include sorrow.  Many times we consider something a blessing (especially large purchases we make with credit) and it soon becomes a curse.  If this is the case it was never a blessing from God, but it was something you yourself brought on calling it a blessing.  

Acts 4-6 & Proverbs 10:1-16

Acts 4-6

In Acts 3, when the crowd gathered around Peter and John who were preaching following the healing of the lame man, word soon got to the Temple officials and they arrested Peter and John for their speaking out.  This time Peter owns up to the fact that he knew Jesus and that he was preaching the good news (contrary to when he denied it and the rooster crowed three times).  The decision of the Temple officials was for the apostles to be quiet and stop preaching.  Peter and John's response: "We cannot stop speaking of the wonderful things we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).   Christians today are too quick to shut up when they are threatened by higher-ups who think they have a voice.  Schools say that students cannot pray or read the Bible in the school when there is no such law.  The teachers cannot lead the teaching of the Bible or the public prayer, but students can on their own!  When Government says one thing--God says another...obey God! 

In Acts 5, why would God strike Ananias and Sapphira dead for only giving half the offering they could have given?  Is it because God is greedy?  No.  Ananias and Sapphira promised all of the land money....not half.  If they had promised half, and then given half, we would not read this in Acts today.  Because they lied, and when given opportunity to tell the truth and lied again, then it angered God and an example was shown to everyone else that this is not acceptable!

When the apostles continued to teach in the name of Jesus, the Temple officials again brought them before them, arrested them, and told them NOT to teach about Jesus any longer.  When they flogged (physically abused) them, they rejoiced that they were persecuted for Jesus.  This sounds weird; however, it was told to the apostles that they would be beaten in the same manner that Jesus Himself would be.  They rejoice because Jesus' words came true.  Also, it was a joy to share in the suffering that Jesus suffered.  

As teh church growed larger and larger, the needs of the people of the church also grew.  The people of the church noticed that some of the needs were being overlooked and so they approached the Apostles about the need.  In response, the Apostles delegated the responsibilities to men who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom and gave them charge over taking care of the daily distribution of food.  It has always been a part of the church's responsibilities to care for not only the spiritual needs of the Christians but also the physical needs when the arise.  

One of these men that were chosen was Stephen.  Stephen was a man full of God's power and when he was encountered by some deceiving jews, he was arrested based on false accusation.  Although it was unjust, Stephen used this as an opportunity to share the message of Jesus!  We should always look at our lives circumstances as opportunities to share Jesus with people.  

Proverbs 10:1-16

This is a second collection of Proverbs from King Solomon.  In the first collection (chapters 1-9) we found a real basis for wisdom: Wisdom comes only from God; the opposite of wisdom is folly; the immoral acts one engages himself (herself) in is the extreme of a fools behavior and this person truly lacks all wisdom.  This collection will include short snippets of wisdom.  There is a distinct contrast between the wise (also called godly) and the fools (also called wicked).  Are there any comparisons that speak to you?  Do you have children and the proverbs based on youth are helpful?  Do the proverbs pertaining to wealth speak to you?  Highlight and/or write down the proverbs that speak to you to encourage you to live right for God.  

Acts 1-3 & Proverbs 9

Acts 1-3

The book of Acts serves as a history of how the church got its start.  To summarize the entire book, many scholars use Acts 1:8 to serve as an outline for the book: Jesus said, "You will be My witnesses in JERUSALEM and in all JUDEA and SAMARIA, and to the ends of the EARTH."  A good outline for the book of Acts will be this:

1) The church began in JERUSALEM

2) The church spread into JUDEA and SAMARIA

3) The church spread to the ends of the EARTH

To fully grasp the locations, you may need a map:

Jerusalem was the local town--the people they knew.

Judea and Samaria were the larger context-perhaps the county or even the state.

The ends of the earth means the churches with different cultures throughout the world.

Acts 1:1-5

Following his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appears multiple times to many different people to prove his resurrected to new life and overcoming death.  In the 50 days that span between the Jewish holiday of Passover (when Jesus was put to death) and the Jewish holiday of Pentecost (when the church began), Jesus spent 40 of those days walking, talking, and encouraging his followers for what was to soon come...the outpouring of God's Spirit on the people.  He told his 11 disciples (minus Judas the traitor) to remain in Jerusalem until this happened.  This language was somewhat foreign to the disciples except for the time they heard John the Baptist refer to it as Jesus noted in Acts 1:5.  

Acts 1:6-23

Peter steps up to take on the first act of business as a leader for the group.  He felt that Judas needed to be replaced with a new disciple.  When  they began the selection process, they began with prayer.  Each year we as a church have the opportunity to select from among our congregation men to serve as leaders.  It can be tempting to select people who are good leaders, strong workers, or popular among the people.  And while these qualities are good and needed, we must always begin our selection with prayer.  God must have the ultimate voice in who we choose!

Acts 2

Ten days following the ascension of Jesus, the promises is fulfilled when there was a large influx of people in Jerusalem celebrating the Day of Pentecost.  The Festival called Pentecost was celebrated by the command of God in Exodus 23:16 & 34:22 for the purpose showing joy and thankfulness for the Lord's blessing of harvest.  At this festival, the first fruits of the grain harvest were presented as a offering to God.  Jews from all over the Roman world would travel to Jerusalem to make their offerings in the Temple.  It was during this holiday when all work had ceased for a time that God chose to send His spirit! 

As people were crowded in Jerusalem to make their offering, God's Spirit came on the 12 apostles (disciples) and it looked as if flames burned on their heads.  Peter began to preach the first sermon in the common Jewish language of Aramaic.  While he spoke, the other eleven translated the sermon into the tongues of other people present: people from all over the known Roman world (Acts Acts 2:9-11).  At the conclusion of the sermon, the people began to ask "What now?"  They needed instructions on how to respond.  And Peter's instructions (led by God's Spirit) was to 1) turn from your sins (repent) and be immersed (baptized) into water and the result would be 1) your sins will be forgiven and 2) God's Spirit will live inside you.  

The result of the sermon: Over 3000 people were baptized.  They began living in a community with a common belief and sharing in the things of God.  They shared when people had need for many of them had come from other parts of the world.  

Acts 3

This is the second of sermons Peter preached in Acts.  This time, his attention grabber was his healing a man who could not walk.  When people noticed the man could walk, they wondered what was happening which gave Peter the opportunity the opportunity to preach.  He now had an audience.  The purpose of miracles, whether by Jesus or the Apostles, was always offer credit for the message they had to preach.  This was the case here with Peter.  The result of this message, another 2000 people were baptized.  

Proverbs 9

Wisdom and foolishness is again compared. The key verse here is found in Proverbs 9:10--Wisdom comes when we truly have a healthy fear of God.  Fear=Respect.  When we fear snakes, we respect them enough to stay away from them.  We have a negative connotation of fear today however; to be afraid is somehow a bad thing.  Replace "fear" with "respect" and you will understand the gist of this verse.  The beginning of wisdom is when we respect God for sho He is and who we are not.