Lucky Falling from a Window
Father, as I come alongside You this evening. I bring all that I am. Some things are not so pretty, but You know me…and still, You love me. Mold me and make me into what You want me to be. Amen.
Acts 20:7-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
I try not to preach too long but I do believe that some preachers feel they have a captive audience and go at it for a very…long…time.
The first pastor that I served under was Rev. Tom Lasley, he was a Spirit-filled man of God. His philosophy on preaching was that if he couldn’t communicate it in 20 minutes, people would lose interest and begin to tune him out. He was a bi-vocational pastor, having taught and served as a superintendent of schools for many years. He knew his stuff!
I feel that if Rev. Lasley had felt it was important to keep on preaching because his listeners were hanging on to every word, and that time was of the essence, he would have followed the Spirit’s leading to communicate everything that was laid on his heart to proclaim.
In today’s passage, it was Sunday and Paul had gathered with the believers in Troas (in modern Turkey) to take part in the breaking of bread (communion). Since he was leaving the next day, he began preaching. Time was of the essence, and he wanted to pass along as much about Jesus and how that applied to them, as he possibly could. He kept preaching and preaching, all the way up until midnight!
I truly don’t think anyone was complaining, but at least one young man (that term according to my Life Application Study Bible, means that he was probably between the ages of 8 and 14), didn’t have issues with what Paul was saying but with the hour being what it was, he had trouble staying awake. That wasn’t a very polite thing to do but the worst of the matter was that he was sitting in a third-story window while listening and when he fell asleep…he fell out of the window! The thing is…he died…
But that was the end of him. By the way, his name was Eutychus, and I had to laugh when I read this passage in the Amplified Bible. It tells us what his name meant – Lucky! Can you believe it? Other sources say it means fortunate! His falling to his death was neither of those, but what happened next wasn’t really either of those either… in truth, it was providential!
Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” v10
They all went back upstairs, broke bread once more, and Paul spoke until dawn (and you can rest assured no one fell asleep!) He and his companions headed out and Eutychus headed home
The lesson we can take from this story is that if Jesus’ resurrection power could bring young Eutychus from death to life, then Jesus would have no problem taking care of us too!
Paul had shared a lot of information, but this miraculous incident drove home the reality of who Jesus was, cementing it in the hearts and minds of all present. It should do the same for us, as well!
“What is impossible for people is possible with God.” Luke 18:27 NLT
July 10th, 2022, Sun, 9:46 pm
Your “Letters” Might Change the World
It was a hodgepodge kind of day, Father, but I’ll take it! Karen and I accomplished a variety of things, but it was just nice spending time together. You have blessed me!
Acts 20:1-6 (<<click here to read the passage)
How many times do we think that our lives are menial and we aren’t accomplishing anything of significance? We just go through our routines. Sometimes we do things that may be out of the norm but…it’s just life!
Reading through today’s text, nothing tells you what was going on behind the scenes. Yes, we see that Paul realizes his opposition is out to kill him and he avoids giving them the opportunity to do it, but before all that, it says
Then he traveled down to Greece, where he stayed for three months. vs2b-3a
Putting together a timeline, scholars discovered that those three months were spent in Corinth. And do you know what he did while in Corinth? He wrote a letter! Boy, that’s exciting, isn’t it!
We’re not into letters much anymore, but we may pop off an email once in a while, or maybe a message via Facebook or Twitter. Some text fairly often or we might throw in a phone call occasionally.
We communicate, but not to the extent that Paul was while in Corinth. His letter carried a tad more content than your everyday text. At this point, he’d not been there, but Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome…better known to us, as the book of Romans! Can you believe it?!
As my Life Application Bible tells me, believers had already started a church there.
Remember, back in chapter 2, visitors from Rome heard Peter’s first sermon on the day of Pentecost. And then more recently, we know that Paul became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila…who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 18:2 NLT
He was letting the Roman believers know that he was planning to visit them. That was good news for them, but the best news was that “simple” letter to the Romans was a theological essay on the meaning of faith and salvation, an explanation of the relation between Jews and Gentiles in Christ, and a list of practical guidelines for the church.
Collegiate professor Dr. Allen Ross shares in his Introduction to the Book of Romans on the Bible.org website,
The theme of the book centers on the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16-17<< click here). Paul is deeply concerned that his readers understand how a sinner may be received as righteous by a righteous God; and how a justified sinner should live daily to the glory of God.
The book has greatly impacted people since the Roman church set its eyes on it. It’s not a book we just breeze through, but it takes time and thoughtful contemplation
Centuries later Martin Luther’s life changed forever when he read it. Here’s what he had to say,
This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes
It may be hard to believe, but God uses us right where we are, doing just what we are doing. Whatever it is, do it with all your heart…just make sure your heart is seeking out God’s heart. For you never know how much your “letters” might change the world of someone else!
July 7th, 2022, Thurs, 8:56 pm
Do the Things That I Do
Thank You, Father, for a productive day. Headway was made for Sunday, and we were able to take care of an important appointment. We then had the opportunity to do some grocery shopping. Thank You for Your watchcare over us.
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Today as I transitioned through preparations for this coming Sunday’s service, I came across a hymn, O Young and Fearless Prophet, that we haven’t sung recently. I’m speaking on what we can glean from the life of Joshua and was searching for hymns that included the word “courage”. Courage is in this hymn but the overall message it communicates didn’t quite gel.
But in verifying that, I read through a couple of stanzas and was brought up short. This hymn spoke to me, though it was penned at the beginning of the Great Depression here in the United States.
I discovered a very informative article written a few years back by C. Michael Hawn on the United Methodist Church’s Discipleship Ministries website. He stated that the author, S. Ralph Harlow, set a tone of service and sacrifice in the opening stanza, seeing the ministry of Christ as a “summons to serve humanity.” This summons is countercultural, meaning that our choices are unlikely to be popular. Furthermore, the summons to follow Christ’s example will take “humble courage.”
The prophetic language of this hymn is in line with Harlow’s theology and activist social philosophy.
The hymn has been included in (United) Methodist hymnals since 1935, yet it was not without controversy even then. Stanza four reflects the economic excess that led to the Great Depression. Harlow calls us to “protest against a greed for wealth, while others starve and hunger and plead for work and health.” The message of this stanza rings as true in the twenty-first century as it rang then.
I found it quite interesting that a minister affiliated with the members of the 1935 and 1966 hymnal committees pointed out that they did not include this stanza because, as one member stated, “the church is not ready to sing that yet.” *
It’s in our current hymnal (1989) but the fifth stanza is still not included.
This has been a bit more of a history lesson, but I would encourage you to thoughtfully read through the hymn’s text and see what the Lord might show you.
Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do…” John 14:12a AMP
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- O young and fearless Prophet
of ancient Galilee,
Thy life is still a summons
to serve humanity;
to make our thoughts and actions
less prone to please the crowd,
to stand with humble courage
for truth with hearts uncowed. - We marvel at the purpose
that held Thee to Thy course
while ever on the hilltop
before Thee loomed the cross;
Thy steadfast face set forward
where love and duty shone,
while we betray so quickly
and leave Thee there alone. - O help us stand unswerving
against war’s bloody way,
where hate and lust and falsehood
hold back Christ’s holy sway;
forbid false love of country
that blinds us to His call,
who lifts above the nations
the unity of all. - Stir up in us a protest
against our greed for wealth,
while others starve and hunger
and plead for work and health;
where homes with little children
cry out for lack of bread,
who live their years sore burdened
beneath a gloomy dread. - Create in us the splendor
that dawns when hearts are kind,
that knows not race nor station
as boundaries of the mind;
that learns to value beauty,
in heart, or brain, or soul,
and longs to bind God’s children
into one perfect whole. - O young and fearless Prophet,
we need Thy presence here,
amid our pride and glory
to see Thy face appear;
once more to hear Thy challenge
above our noisy day,
again to lead us forward
along God’s holy way.
- O young and fearless Prophet
*History of Hymns: “O Young and Fearless Prophet” (<<click to read the article)
July 6th, 2022, Wed, 8:57 pm
Brave Enough to Do It
I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
….I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.
….Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Psalm108:3-4 NLT
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Before settling down to write this evening, I happened to step into our bedroom and glanced out the back window. When I did, I was pleasantly surprised to see at least three turkey hens. That in and of itself wasn’t too awfully surprising, but the fact that they all had chicks (or poults) with them, brought a smile to my face.
I quickly snapped a few shots with the camera on my phone, but they were just too far away to get a clear picture.
I watched them for a little while. What was most entertaining was when one hen flew across an area that has retained some water – this is the backside of our drainage ditch. She flew and almost immediately three chicks followed right behind her! I knew there were at least a half dozen more (they can lay up to 15 eggs at a time!), and it took a little while but before too long the rest followed as well.
As I saw her take flight, my immediate thought was, “Are her chicks able to fly yet? Will they be brave enough to do it?” I quickly had my answer, but my thoughts soon wandered into spiritual lines.
Have you heard that the Lord goes before us? Back in Deuteronomy, the Israelites found themselves at a point of leadership transition. Moses had led them before their exodus to the end of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Their parents had balked in fear at crossing into the land God had promised them.
Moses was not going with them, and their new leader would be Joshua – faithful to the core! Moses, as spokesman of the Lord, said,
It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP
They too would have to cross a body of water – the Jordan River. But Someone – the Lord God Himself – whom they had come to trust and know intimately was going before them and they too would follow according to His lead.
They were human, as are we, and some I’m sure followed boldly. Others may have been a bit more hesitant but shored themselves up and followed bravely behind, knowing that God went before them all.
In the course of our lives, things may come before us…unknown things, but the Lord goes before us, as well. We need not fear or be dismayed for we know He will not fail or abandon us. May we in faith believing follow Him wherever He leads us.
Amen!
July 5th, 2022, Tues, 7:49 pm
A Can of Worms?
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary… Psalm 107:1-2 AMP
Acts 19:23-41 (<<click here to read the passage)
Reading through this passage, I immediately saw a “can of worms”. It’s one of those passages that could be very volatile. I was hesitant, but that’s all I saw from an application standpoint. But as I thought about it a concept came to mind that is vital for all followers of Christ to embrace and actively cultivate.
First, a quick synopsis of what’s going on here in these verses. Ephesus was the epicenter for the worship of Artemis, a fertility goddess. Verse 35 tells us that Ephesus was the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to…from heaven. NLT
Paul’s preaching greatly impacted many in the area – turning them to the one true God. The problem was that this put a crimp in the pockets of the local silversmiths, who made a great profit off the sales of their little silver Artemis shrines.
Demetrius, one of the biggest manufacturers of the shrines said, in verse 27.
Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.” AMP
Can you say, baloney? Some of that may have factored in, but the Life Application Bible note on this verse states:
Demetrius’s strategy for stirring up a riot was to appeal to his fellow workmen’s love of money and then encourage them to hide their greed behind the mask of patriotism and religious loyalty. The rioters couldn’t see the selfish motives for their rioting; instead, they saw themselves as heroes for the sake of their land and beliefs.
And the whole thing just escalated.
So, here’s the concept that came to mind: discernment.
We all probably have a basic understanding in our heads, but I wanted a more Biblically based definition. I found one on Ligonier’s website. (Ligonier is a fellowship of teachers dedicated to making the deep truths of the Christian faith accessible to growing believers.) Here’s a sound definition.
True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, and the permanent from the transient. And, yes, it means distinguishing between the good and the better, and even between the better and the best. (Click here to read more >> What Is Discernment?)
Without getting into a huge political/philosophical debate, I need to stress that followers of Christ need to be very careful about what we believe and why we believe it. Just because everyone else is on the bandwagon, doesn’t mean that we have to jump on, too.
Like the rioters in Ephesus, is it possible that we don’t really have a full understanding of what is going on? Verse 32 spells it out,
Inside, the people were all shouting, some one thing and some another. Everything was in confusion. In fact, most of them didn’t even know why they were there. NLT
Just because we hold “John (or Jane) Smith” in high esteem, doesn’t mean that they have the best interests of God’s Kingdom in mind. A lot of things pull the strings for a lot of different people. We need to make sure that we are not just swallowing everything, hook, line, and sinker. Pray about things. Read about them. See what wisdom God’s word has to say. Ask God to help you discern what is best. That is where you will find the answer.
July 3rd, 2022, Sun, 5:46 pm