Day 35: Acts 16-18. Arguments, Imprisonment, Preaching: The Grace of God
Paul and his companions have dodged a bulletin with church-dividing implications. The Gentile and Jewish believers have found a way to be in fellowship with one another. Still, Paul and Barnabas somehow couldn't fix a rift that developed between the two of them. We really don't know much about the rift, except that it had to do with John Mark. Barnabas wanted to take him along with them; Paul did not. On the basis of something as simple as this, Paul and Barnabas part ways. Paul teams up with Silas, and eventually Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman and a Greek father (interesting that he has Timothy circumcised because of the company with whom he expected to be traveling).
It's sort of sad that the church could come to an agreement with respect to the first controversial issues they faced, but that Paul and Barnabas couldn't come to an agreement with regard to John Mark. But that's the way it is in churches sometimes, isn't it? It is the (seemingly) little things, the rifts between individuals, that catch us up, oftentimes more than the big and controversial theological issues of the day. It is the arguments about which songs we sing and who distrusts who that end up generating the heat even now.
That being said, Luke is still pretty clear that it is the Holy Spirit that directs or impedes their progress. The Holy Spirit leads them to Macedonia, where Lydia hears the message of Jesus and believes. Lake on, though, Paul cats an evil spirit out of a young woman. This good deed is rewarded with time in prison for Paul and Silas. (It seems that the evil spirit was a source of revenue for the owners of the young woman.)
As has happened before, a way for the apostle to escape from jail presents itself: an earth quake! But this time, instead of escaping, Paul and his friend stay put, and in this way confess their faith in the one who has set them free. It's a powerful moment both for Paul and his jailers.
Paul journeys and preaches in some cities with names that might be familiar to us: Thessolonica, Corinth, Berea, Athens. Some of the cities are familiar because we'll be reading Paul's letters to congregations in those cities soon.
In the meantime, Paul's preaching incites controversy, as well as curiosity, and conversion, where-ever he goes. the Jewish people who are concerned about the new religion come out and accuse Paul and his friends of "disturbing the peace." Another translation reads something like this, "The people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also...."
It makes me wonder whether we can be concerned about turning the world upside down lately. Sometimes the responsibility of the church is to keep the peace, but other times, I wonder if it's not more appropriate to disturb the peace, to shake things up, especially when Justice is not being done, when the peace needs to be shaken.
Paul preaches in Athens, among people who love to hear "the latest thing", and gathers a number of curiosity seekers willing to listen to him. It's interesting that his sermon is quite different than the ones we have heard him preach before. Paul does not quote scripture, instead reaching for allusions from the popular philosophy of the day. There are people who scoff because of his references to Jesus' resurrection, and it's hard to tell how many converts he gained, but he portrayed the good news in a new language in Athens. It is still the job of missionaries to speak good news in new languages today.
In Corinth, Paul meets a couple who lead a house church: Priscilla and Aquila. He stays in Corinth for 18 months, longer than he has state anywhere else. (We'll learn more interesting facts about Corinth a little later.) In Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila train another effective missionary, Apollos, who seems to be charismatic and successful in defending the faith. For some reason, when I hear the word "Apollos", I think of someone really impressive, probably good-looking, someone who combines charm, intelligence and eloquence. For some reason, I'm always a little suspicious of people like that.
It's sort of sad that the church could come to an agreement with respect to the first controversial issues they faced, but that Paul and Barnabas couldn't come to an agreement with regard to John Mark. But that's the way it is in churches sometimes, isn't it? It is the (seemingly) little things, the rifts between individuals, that catch us up, oftentimes more than the big and controversial theological issues of the day. It is the arguments about which songs we sing and who distrusts who that end up generating the heat even now.
That being said, Luke is still pretty clear that it is the Holy Spirit that directs or impedes their progress. The Holy Spirit leads them to Macedonia, where Lydia hears the message of Jesus and believes. Lake on, though, Paul cats an evil spirit out of a young woman. This good deed is rewarded with time in prison for Paul and Silas. (It seems that the evil spirit was a source of revenue for the owners of the young woman.)
As has happened before, a way for the apostle to escape from jail presents itself: an earth quake! But this time, instead of escaping, Paul and his friend stay put, and in this way confess their faith in the one who has set them free. It's a powerful moment both for Paul and his jailers.
Paul journeys and preaches in some cities with names that might be familiar to us: Thessolonica, Corinth, Berea, Athens. Some of the cities are familiar because we'll be reading Paul's letters to congregations in those cities soon.
In the meantime, Paul's preaching incites controversy, as well as curiosity, and conversion, where-ever he goes. the Jewish people who are concerned about the new religion come out and accuse Paul and his friends of "disturbing the peace." Another translation reads something like this, "The people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also...."
It makes me wonder whether we can be concerned about turning the world upside down lately. Sometimes the responsibility of the church is to keep the peace, but other times, I wonder if it's not more appropriate to disturb the peace, to shake things up, especially when Justice is not being done, when the peace needs to be shaken.
Paul preaches in Athens, among people who love to hear "the latest thing", and gathers a number of curiosity seekers willing to listen to him. It's interesting that his sermon is quite different than the ones we have heard him preach before. Paul does not quote scripture, instead reaching for allusions from the popular philosophy of the day. There are people who scoff because of his references to Jesus' resurrection, and it's hard to tell how many converts he gained, but he portrayed the good news in a new language in Athens. It is still the job of missionaries to speak good news in new languages today.
In Corinth, Paul meets a couple who lead a house church: Priscilla and Aquila. He stays in Corinth for 18 months, longer than he has state anywhere else. (We'll learn more interesting facts about Corinth a little later.) In Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila train another effective missionary, Apollos, who seems to be charismatic and successful in defending the faith. For some reason, when I hear the word "Apollos", I think of someone really impressive, probably good-looking, someone who combines charm, intelligence and eloquence. For some reason, I'm always a little suspicious of people like that.
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