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
Get Our Attention
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
….who lives from everlasting to everlasting!
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord! Psalm 106:48 NLT
Acts 19:11-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
Massey and I watched an old Western movie the other evening (older, as in it came out around the time he was born, not me! Haha!) Early on, one of the main characters entered a bar that was also a gambling hall and overheard the guy over the hall lambasting one of his underlings. The main character could tell that the “boss” was full of himself, and right way challenged him to his face. In fact, he slapped him hard across the face three times throughout the confrontation and quickly tossed him out of the establishment. Doing so, he easily set himself up as the new “boss”, truly to no one’s objection. His actions quickly provided him with the fear and respect he needed to take over the responsibilities of the position.
Today’s passage is far from a bar and gambling hall, but God used the terrifying confrontation involving the false exorcists to further His Kingdom
The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. v17 NLT
Often in life, it takes something big and maybe even a bit terrifying to get us to open our eyes and pay attention to what is really important.
Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire talks about a night when he was at the end of his rope. The story he shares in his book is utterly amazing and well worth the read but here is a shortened rendering of it.
His daughter, Chrissy, 16 at the time, had a great falling out with her faith and her family. (It’s not easy being a pastor’s kid!) She had run away, and her parents had no idea where she was. She was in a very dark place. But for the providence of God, she may very well have been lost forever.
A lady in their church felt impressed that they should stop where they were in a Tuesday night prayer service and pray for Chrissy.
32 hours later, Chrissy was home! She sat on the floor sobbing and said, “Dad I’ve sinned against God. I’ve sinned against myself. I’ve sinned against you and mom. Please forgive me.” And then she said: “Who was praying on Tuesday night?”
He didn’t answer, so she continued. “In the middle of the night, God woke me and showed me I was heading toward this abyss. There was no bottom to it – it scared me to death. I was so frightened. I realized how hard I’ve been, how wrong, how rebellious.”
“But at the same time, it was like God wrapped His arms around me and held me tight. He kept me from sliding any farther and He said, ‘I still love you.’ Daddy… Who was praying on Tuesday night?”
Chrissy out of her rebellion returned to Christ. And in the years hence, she, along with her husband, has gone forth to impact thousands of lives for Christ.
God uses our lives regardless of what we have done. No one is a lost cause. No act on our part is too vile. None of us are too far gone for Him to heal and use.
Lord Jesus, get our attention. Change us. Fill us. Use us. Amen.
June 30th, 2022, Thurs, 7:59 pm
Don’t Play with Fire!
Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
….His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
….Who can ever praise him enough? Psalm 106:1-2 NLT
Acts 19:11-22 (<<click here to read the passage)
A fair amount of the acreage behind our home has not been cleared – though we mow a small glade in the middle of it, most of it is wooded. Directly behind the portion we mow at the front is a rise populated mainly by shag-bark hickory trees. In the autumn we have all kinds of leaves fall to the ground.
One year, late in the fall, we decided to try and clear some of that area by burning the leaves that had accumulated over the years. My son was in his teens at the time and together we worked to keep it from spreading too quickly. Things went well for a while then the fire began to spread into some undergrowth around several small trees. It got a little crazy, but we were able to keep it under control.
Though we succeeded in doing so, shortly thereafter several of our local volunteer firefighters arrived with a firetruck and equipment because someone driving by had reported an out-of-control fire behind our home. Being that we aren’t allowed to have any open burning until after 6:00 pm, it was dark, and we couldn’t be seen.
We weren’t playing with fire but seven young opportunistic exorcists in the area where Paul was preaching did play with fire and boy did they get burnt!
They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” v13b
The passage goes on to say,
…one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. vs15-16 NLT
They may have been wowed at Paul’s miraculous works and wanted to get in on the action. But as my Life Application Study Bible says,
They discovered, however, that no one can control or duplicate God’s power. These men were calling on the name of Jesus without knowing him personally. The power to change people here comes from Christ. It cannot be tapped by reciting his name like a magic charm. God works his power only through those he chooses.
Being a follower of Christ is serious business. It most certainly brings great joy, but it is not fun and games simply to entertain ourselves or others. It demands a dedication of heart and soul, and a giving of ourselves to the point that God can use us to expand His Kingdom in the lives of those around us.
So don’t play with fire, or you might just get burnt!
June 29th, 2022, Wed, 9:17 pm
Set Time Apart
Search for the Lord and for his strength;
….continually seek him. Psalm 105:4 NLT
Acts 19:8-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
Most of us realize it, but when it comes to learning and growing in our relationship with Jesus, it’s easy to compartmentalize our lives. Many set aside a Sabbath time of worship. That is a wonderful thing for sure but that solitary compartment is far too limiting when it comes to interacting with God. Our God is a God of miracles but for most of us, it is just an hour or a little more that we set aside to spend time with Him. It can impact us, yes, but more time would definitely translate to more opportunities for impact.
Part of the struggle for some is that in compartmentalizing that part of their lives, they develop the mentality that that is the only place they can learn. Their lives are too full to even work in a daily devotional time. There are many daily devotionals out there. My two churches both get different ones, one of them I know we just send in a donation to receive – the other I’m not sure on – but picking them up at either church costs our people nothing. Those two are Our Daily Bread and The Upper Room. Both publications had an app available for personal use…so there’s no excuse.
In today’s passage, we learn that for about three months Paul taught in the local Jewish place of worship, the synagogue. But some of the Jews became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. v9
Tyrannus, I learned from my study notes, was a school. Lecture halls were used in the morning for teaching philosophy, but they were empty during the hot part of the day (about 11 AM to 4 PM). Because many people did not work during those hours, they would come to hear Paul’s preaching.*
They – nor we! – need a church or any formal kind of place set aside to learn and grow in our relationship with Jesus. We can learn literally anywhere!
And did you catch what the last part of that note said? Those who wanted to learn made it a priority in their lives. They went to hear Paul preach when they could have been doing so many other things. And it wasn’t the most comfortable time to get together, either. We all have things that need to be done but some things are more important than others. Now I don’t expect that they went to hear Paul every day, but it was important enough for them to dedicate time regularly.
We all – I included – need to make sure that we are setting time apart from all the many other things clamoring for our attention. It will be of great spiritual benefit to do so. Lord, help us.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
June 28th, 2022, Tues, 7:51 pm
Dig In and Hang On!
All praise to You, Heavenly Father! It was a beautiful day. I had the energy to get some things done. You have blessed me beyond measure in so many ways!
********
When Massey and I were hiking the other day, we came upon a tree. I said I wanted to take a picture of it, and he asked if I wanted to write about it, and of course, my answer was, “Yes.” 😊
There was no good way to get a picture of the entire tree. In the park, many of the trees are very tall. I had a hard time identifying a few because their foliage was so high that I couldn’t distinguish what kind of tree it was. I can identify a fair number of trees by their foliage and some by their bark. This particular tree is a cherry tree, I could tell because of its bark.
Regardless, it was very tall but as you can tell it was not totally upright. It was leaning on trees beside it. I could also tell that whatever had pushed it over had done it some time ago. If you look at the roots at its base, they are mostly encased in compacted earth. Also, there are a few of its roots that are broken but they have hardened with exposure to the elements and possibly traffic from hikers and wildlife.
There are two things that we can learn here. First of all, the reason this tree didn’t fall to the ground was that it fell onto neighboring trees. In our lives, we are going to fall. From a life perspective, there are multiple times in life where things beyond our control knock us down – illnesses, losing a job, accidents, death of someone close to us…and the list goes on and on. Sometimes it is our doing – accidents due to our negligence, investing our resources in unnecessarily risky endeavors, getting involved with people who in reality we should just avoid…and that list goes on and on, too.
Honestly, even when we are stupid or just a victim of circumstances beyond our control, many of us are fortunate enough to have friends and family who will catch us, support us, and love us through the most difficult of times.
Spiritually speaking, our loving Heavenly Father, is there to catch us as well. Even when others cannot (or will not) catch us, support, and love us, He will.
The other thing we can learn here is to not give up. We may stumble. We may fall, but we should always give it everything we’ve got to hang in there. The tree’s roots were not totally pulled out of the ground. To me, it looked like it just dug its roots in deeper to help keep itself from falling any further. That’s a bit of personification there, trees can’t think and physically act like that, but you get the point.
A few days ago, I wrote concerning Apollos that some dig their heels in regarding things they refuse to learn – “My way is right, and no one is going to change my mind!” But sometimes it’s beneficial to dig in your heels and hang on because it is the only way to survive! We can’t just give up and say, “Oh, well! What can I do?”
The Holy Spirit is there to shore us up and to help us hang in there! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! But we are blessed in that we don’t have to go in alone and we don’t have to go it in our own strength! The Holy Spirit is there for us on both counts! Lean on Him – He can take it – and call out for whatever you need to make it through – He will provide!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Romans 15:13 AMP
June 27th, 2022, Mon, 7:14 pm