Acts 17:16-34

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

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Knowing the Culture

In this interesting passage, Paul is talking to the Greeks in Athens about Jesus. He obviously spent time preparing his sermon (message) and "doing research." For example, he talks about some of the Greek statues he saw in Athens (verse 23), and he even quotes one of their poets (verse 28). He is using the Greek culture, itself, to enlighten the Greek people to their need for Christ.

Jesus wants us to tell others about Him too. The fact that you are reading this devotion is probably because someone in your life took the time to tell you about Jesus... People who tell others about Jesus are called "missionaries," and believe it or not, but we ALL are expected to be missionaries. We don't have to go to a foreign country like Greece to be a missionary; we can be a missionary at our schools, our workplaces, even our neighborhoods.

But here's the catch... We should not just start talking about Jesus without knowing about the people with whom we are speaking. For example, if you were talking to people in India about Jesus, you should get to know their culture... things like their food, their language, and even their religion... so that you can make connections with them so that your attempt to share Jesus is better received and appreciated. Likewise, when we AYL leaders share our faith with teenagers, we do so by trying to connect what we believe with things in the adolescent subculture, things like music, activities, trends, and so forth.

In all of these examples, the goal is to find COMMON GROUND with others. Yes, we want to share Jesus, but it should NOT be a one way flow of conversation. We Christians can also learn from others and listen to what they say and appreciate their thoughts. In the end, that will make our message more potent and applicable to their lives. That's what Paul did when he spoke in Athens, that's what we should do too.

- Brian Hall

Acts 17: 10-15

10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Acts 17:1-9

When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

-Acts 17:1-9

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Jealousy is the ungodly desire to want something other than God, that you don’t possess.  In the case of the Jews living in Thessaloniki, they wanted to keep the power and the comfort that they enjoyed before the Apostle Paul introduced them to the Gospel.  Judaism enjoyed some element of popularity but now the Gospel is threatening its social position.

The fallen nature of humanity still exists today and jealousy is still unfortunately alive and well.  Today, we can still struggle with jealousy.  We can be jealous of others for their athleticism, their beauty, their social ranking in school, their material possessions, etc.  At the root of jealousy is the idea that God isn’t enough and that He is denying us of what we really need.

This is why it’s so important for us to draw near to God through the reading of Scripture and through prayer.  Only when we draw near to Him are we reminded that He alone satisfies above all us.  Our relationship with Jesus makes us invincible in a certain sense.  No matter our external circumstance, our internal disposition is satisfied and fulfilled.  Spending time with God helps us to fight against jealousy.

Have you been desiring things or attributes that others have?  Is it plunging you into bitterness?  Take some time to repent and ask God to help you.

Acts 16:16-40

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“Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭16:16-40

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We’ve been reading about Paul and Silas’s journey in different places teaching about Jesus. We have been seeing how God is working through them to change people’s lives as many started to believe. Today we read about Paul and Silas in prison and how this obstacle led more to believe in Jesus. 

In our journey, sometimes it’s so hard to see why God allows bad things to happen. When Paul got annoyed at the fortune teller woman and got rid of the spirit in Jesus’s name, Paul and Silas were accused by people who felt threatened by their presence because they couldn’t make money anymore. Back then where they were, Roman citizens had certain rights such as the right to legal trial and they shouldn’t be tortured as a citizen. However, despite their citizenship, they were still stripped and beaten and thrown into prison. But then, even though this very unfortunate and unjust event happened to them, they still praised God and sang hymns. 

Often times, when we experience hardships, we start to question God. We forget that God is always with us and has plans for us. But we see how faithful Paul and Silas were that even though they were treated very unjustly they still held on tight to God. Because of their faithfulness, God used this obstacle to lead others to believe. Other prisoners heard them sing hymns which was probably very unusual to them, not only that, but the jailer was also affected by this. When the earthquake happened and the doors were opened, the jailer was about to kill himself because he would’ve received consequences. But Paul and Silas didn’t let that happen and stopped him. He was probably in such a shock that he was trembling and asked how he can be saved. He started to believe which led his household to also believe and get baptized. 

How amazing is it that when we look at the big picture and we see how God working through everything. If Paul didn’t get annoyed at the fortune teller woman, they wouldn’t have met the jailer. God allowed these events to happen and used them to reach his people. 

Despite hardships that we experience, we can still praise God and always turn to Him. He knows everything that we are going through and He is always with us. He can use these hardships and turn it into good and help us and others to get to know Him more and grow closer to Him.

Acts 16:11-15

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

-Acts 16:11-15

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As we read through Acts we get to follow Jesus' first disciples go and spread his message to nearby areas. We get to see them perform miracles in God's name and preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike. Just in chapter 16 we see Paul and Silas traveling all over the place preaching the word wherever they felt God was calling them to. And as we read I think we can forget who is really important as more and more people become Christian during this time. It's not Peter or Paul. It's God.

In these couple of verses Luke (He wrote the book of Acts) makes it clear why Lydia decided to become a follower of Christ. It wasn't from a convicting sermon from Paul or a one on one conversation she has with Silas. It says, "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." It was ultimately God who changed her heart to be able to accept Christ into her life. Here, Paul's message was important but without God working in Lydia's heart it would have been useless.

As Christians we go through our lives preaching the Gospel in many different ways; maybe it's by writing books, having a hard conversation or just showing His love through our actions. As we go about these things we can have peace in the fact that what we are doing is important, but ultimately God is doing the real work here. We can use this fact to humble ourselves if we ever start to think we're the reason why people start believing in Jesus. We can also use this fact if we start getting discouraged by people not starting to believe in Jesus. God is always at work, He will change people's hearts. Let's never forget it's never about us, it's always about God.

Acts 16:6-10

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
-Acts 16:6-10

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As Christians, we can be used by God in many ways, and in many different places. The body of believers is composed of many different parts, and different people are called to serve in different areas, some of which are areas that may not be expected.

We read here that Paul is constantly being rerouted as he ventures to different places to preach the gospel. First, God closes off Asia, in which Paul decides to go to Bithynia. However, Jesus promptly closes that route as well, in which Paul goes to Troas instead. God ultimately makes it clear where He wants Paul to go, and through a vision Paul receives his instructions to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel there.

As we grow in our faith and seek ways to lead or serve, it may be easy or comfortable to choose an area we are familiar with, or perhaps always wanted to be in. However, we need to remember that it is ultimately God who sets our paths and knows what’s best for us and the world, so we have to be ready even for the unexpected.

When we’re driving and we approach a closed off road, we have to take detours to get where we need to go. We can’t decide to ignore the road closure and proceed as usual, as that may be dangerous or simply illegal. The alternate route is what’s best and we have to trust it will get us to our destination. Similarly, there will be many paths and plans that God will close off, which may not always be easy to take and may lead to disappointment. However, we can have faith that it is what’s best for us and will ultimately help us achieve the end goal of growing closer to God and helping others know him too.

Acts 16:1-5

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

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Previously we read when Barnabas went out together with Paul as missionaries to spread the gospel. Barnabas was a peer to Paul and reminds us that we should also look for peers in our walk of faith. This time we meet someone that would become very dear to Paul. Timothy is a someone that Paul chose to mentor and two books of the Bible, 1 & 2 Timothy, were written specifically to help guide him. In verse 3 we get a glimpse at how intimate their relationship was as Paul was the one to circumcise Timothy. Throughout the new testament we see how Timothy almost becomes like a son to Paul. 

The relationship between Paul and Timothy is one we should all strive for as Christians. We need mentors like Paul in our life to help guide and direct our spiritual growth and eventually we should all look for Timothy's in our live's as well, younger Christians who we can help direct and mold through the wisdom we accrue through our life in faith. In Young Life we believe in the power of relationships and choose to be a Paul to whoever's willing, but we also often talk about the idea of paying it forward. Jesus gave us a beautiful picture of discipleship and here we get another glimpse in Paul and Timothy. If you don't have a Paul in your life, find one, but if you do, make sure to find yourself a Timothy as well.

Even if you don't feel the most equip to take someone under your wing, the relationship doesn't have to look as formal as Timothy and Paul. Even being a few steps further along in your faith is a few steps that you can help guide someone else. If all that you've learned ends with you then everything that's been poured into you is almost a waste. Wisdom, guidance and mentorship is such a wonderful gift and blessing to receive and it's better to give then to receive so don't hoard that to yourself and instead look to pass it forward. 

Acts 15:36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

-Acts 15:36-41

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As you can see in this passage, Paul and Barnabas who have been tight friends and missionary partners suddenly have a mini argument about whether or not they should bring Mark on their journey. Although this passage highlights the argument (Barnabas vs. Paul), we need to look at their intentions. These two brothers-in-Christ are arguing not because they are selfish or because they hate each other. Their stubborn intentions are coming from their love for God. Their love for their fellow believers in Christ and love for the mission.

These two have been going around doing God's mission for a while now. They converted many people who have gotten to know Jesus. They plan to continue the mission, but it is at this point where they head towards different directions in their ministry. This is not a bad thing. They truly want to bring more people to love God and be saved. I think Paul and Barnabas show what a real passion for God looks like. This should be the heart of a true missionary - caring for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and devotion to God's mission.

Where do you fit in this picture? Are you zealous for God? Do you hope to be like Paul and Barnabas and spread God's mission in the now/future? Can you think of a fellow brother or sister in Christ where you can see yourselves as a dynamic duo? Wherever you stand, I hope you are praying to God and asking Him for a deep fervor in your relationship with God and how you can be used in His ministry.

Acts 15:22-35

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] [d] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

-Acts 15:22-35

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A healthy growing church sends people out into the world to share the Gospel.  The church in Jerusalem decided to send two guys to go along with Paul and Barnabas to help out the Christians in Antioch.

Sometimes it’s super easy for a faith community to just focus on themselves, so much so, that they forget that there’s a world out there that still need to hear about Jesus.  That’s true here in AYL and Harvesters as well.  It’s important that we help our community grow in faith, but we also need to remember that there are still hundreds of students in our school who have no idea who Jesus is, or have an incredibly warped perspective on who Jesus is.  We need to send people to go and tell them.

Do you have friends outside of your church or Harvesters or AYL that you want to share Jesus with?  Are you actively doing so?

Acts 15:1-21

1 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. 5 But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”

6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:

16 ‘Afterward I will return
and restore the fallen house of David.
I will rebuild its ruins
and restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord,
including the Gentiles—
all those I have called to be mine.
The Lord has spoken—
18 he who made these things known so long ago.’

19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”

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Christianity is for Everyone

Apparently, there had been a debate among the early Christians regarding whether or not converts to the faith should follow the Jewish "kosher" rules found in what we now call the Old Testament. In particular, there was considerable disagreement regarding whether or not male converts to Christianity from non-Jewish backgrounds should get circumcised as Jewish men are expected to do as a ritual in their faith.

After much discussion, Paul concludes that they "should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God." In other words, if Gentiles (non-Jews) had to get circumcised and follow all of the other Jewish dietary rules, it may have been more difficult for them to actually convert to Christianity. He says it is not necessary.

This is important because the early disciples were no longer promoting Judaism but actually a new faith that was meant for everyone. Paul cites a passage from the Old Testament in which he concludes that God always intended for the entire world to know Him, not just the Jews. By not requiring converts to follow the Jewish kosher laws, the faith would be freed of its cultural weights. This would make it much easier and more attractive to people around the world to one day become Christians.

As we think about the modern spread of Christianity into places like Korea and China and India, it is in part because 2,000 years earlier Paul removed the cultural elements associated with Judaism as a prerequisite for being a Christian. Now a Korean convert to Christianity can still eat non-kosher foods and follow his or her Korean culture. In fact, one of the great aspects of Christianity is its ability to adapt to the cultures of the world. We do that in AYL too by adapting the Christian faith to the world of Asian American teenagers. We maintain the doctrines of Christianity but modify the "style" and culture. Thanks to our early Church fathers for leading the way!

- Brian Hall

Acts 14:21-28

21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

-Acts 14:21-28

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There is a false assumption that being a Christian will solve all your problems.  When I first was introduced to Christianity, that’s what I thought of the faith.  I thought church was filled with perfect people with perfect lives because they were guided by God.  But once I started becoming part of a church community, I realized how wrong I was.

Christianity doesn’t make you less of a sinner, it makes you a sinner saved by grace.  Likewise, Christianity doesn’t eliminate problems from your life, in fact, it invites it, but in exchange, it promises intimacy with the God who will walk with you through ever obstacle and every danger.

Paul and Baranbas didn’t just say, “We MIGHT go through many hardships.”  No, they said, “We MUST go through many hardships.”  To follow Jesus is a promise to allow difficulties into your life.  But the reward of knowing Jesus is infinitely greater that any difficulties will only seem like a small annoyance, if at all, in light of your intimate relationship with God.

As you grow in your relationship with God, expect hardships.  It’s going to happen.  Don’t get caught off-guard by it.  But in exchange, expect a rich and intimate relationship with the Lord of the Universe.

Acts 14:8-20

8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

-Acts 14:8-20

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All of us have a God-shaped hole that desires to be filled.  God created us to worship Him, but because of sin, our worship radar has been corrupted and messed up.  Instead of choosing God to worship, we now choose all these others things to worship, but they can’t satisfy us.

See how quickly the crowd wanted to worship Paul and Baranabas.  See how quickly they turned on them when they were not satisfied.

This reminds me of how I am when I get something new like a new phone, or a laptop, or whatever.  At first, I’m super excited about the object, but after a few days or a few weeks, it doesn’t satisfy me in the same way.  It’s like a kid at Christmas getting a gift he or she really wanted, but after a few weeks the toy is left lying around because the kid is no bored with it.

We’ll try to fill our God-shaped hole with toys.  We’ll try to fill our God-shaped hole with relationships.  We’ll try to fill our God-shaped hole with work.  We’ll try to fill our God-shaped hole with stuff and money.  But in the end the only thing that can fill our God-shaped hole is... well... God.

What are you trying to fill your God-shaped hole with?

Acts 14: 1-7

14 At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. ² But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³ So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. ⁴ The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. ⁵ There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. ⁶ But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, ⁷ where they continued to preach the gospel.

- Acts 14: 1-7

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When Paul and Barnabas went and spoke at Iconium into a Jewish synagogue, many people believed. That was a very good start in their mission at Iconium and probably very encouraging that when you do something you immediately see amazing feedback. However, it’s not always amazing and things don’t always go our way. There would always be obstacles coming up. Reading today’s passage, we can see Paul and Barnabas’ perseverance in spreading the word of God.

We see that despite many believing, there are still many that were not happy about what Paul and Barnabas are doing. We read that Jews poisoned Gentiles' minds and in a sense, they kind of teamed up against them. But this does not discourage our brothers and they still kept teaching. If anything, because of that they stayed longer at Iconium to “speak boldly of the Lord”. They didn’t let that seemingly failure get to them but instead that caused them to do more and continue teaching about our God. Because Paul and Barnabas have faith in our Lord God, even if there was an obstacle they still persevered in their mission. “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” (Romans 5:3).

When we do the works of God, it’s not always going to be easy. We can start strong and be encouraged by it, but the challenge is staying strong throughout. We can’t let failure get to us, but instead, we should have hope and be reminded of God’s love and that he is always with us. “Hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5)

Acts 13:13-52

13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“‘You are my son;

    today I have become your father.’

34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

35 So it is also stated elsewhere:

“‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’

36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

41 “‘Look, you scoffers,

    wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

    that you would never believe,

    even if someone told you.’”

42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

    that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

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Paul here gives a textbook example of what preaching the Gospel can look like. He gives a brief rundown of the Old Testament, talks about how God sent Jesus for us, and invites us to accept Jesus into our own lives. What I want to focus on here is not the preaching itself, but rather what continues between Paul and the Jews after. At first the Jewish people enjoyed Paul's sermon and asked him to preach again, but when Paul gathered a large gentile (non-Jewish people) crowd the Jewish leaders turned against him. This didn't stop Paul and Barnabas as they continued to preach to the Gentiles. When questioned by Jewish people their response was basically "we told you, but you didn't listen so now we're telling them."

Paul and Barnabas had the mission to spread God's word to all people. That's it. They weren't going to let negative responses or abuse stop them from obtaining their goal. They held strong in their beliefs and unapologetically preached the Gospel. And I think we as Christian's need to do the same.

However, spreading God's word does not always look like it did in this passage. We weren't all meant to go and preach to the crowds. But we can spread the Gospel by the ways we live our lives, treat other people and respond to certain situations. By loving everyone, even those who hate us, we can show God's love to the world. And while we go about spreading the Gospel in our everyday lives we have to remember to never falter on our beliefs. There are going to be people that oppose not only what we believe in, but how we live our lives. Like Paul in this passage we need to continue strong despite this opposition, whether it costs us social or monetary status. Because we live our lives as Christians not based on responses by other people, but by how God has told us how to. 

Acts 13:4-12

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

-Acts 13:4-12

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As Saul (now called Paul) and Barnabas begin their ministry, they are met pretty quickly by opposition, and in this case a sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus. Also named Elymas, the sorcerer tries to undermine Paul and Barnabas and prevent the gospel from being spread to the preconsul. We read that his plan ultimately fails and he pays the price by losing his eyesight.

The first thing to note is in the opening of the passage, we are reminded that Paul and Barnabas's mission is not something they embarked on by themselves or something they planned on their own. We read that it is in fact the Holy Spirit who sends them out and is with them throughout their journey. Paul and Barnabas were ordinary men who decided to take faith and venture to Cyprus. Meanwhile, Elymas was a sorcerer who probably had a lot of experience in what he did. However, Elymas was ultimately no match to the Holy Spirit and through Paul and Barnabas, God's power triumphed over Elymas's wicked ways.

Secondly, we should keep in mind that although there may not be many sorcerers around anymore, there are certainly many people or things that may try to sway us from knowing God and growing in our faith. Especially in today's times, many things we see around us may point us away from God. However, God pursues us and will beckon us to come to Him, and He will ultimately reign over all things. Knowing and believing that, how will we respond?

Acts 13:1-3

13 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

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We were not intended or created to be alone. In the short passage above it's easy to miss the significance of Barnabas and Saul being sent out together. If you've read any portion of the New Testament, you recognize the name of Paul who was then called Saul, but Barnabas might not be as well known. Barnabas was Paul's partner for 3 years of Paul's missionary journey and despite disagreements between one another they supported each other through this time. Paul's missionary journey was infamous for the amount of opposition and and abuse he received while trying to proclaim the Gospel but it's in especially in times like this where you need to be able to have the support of a brother like Barnabas going through the same thing.

Faith is meant to be relationship and while our relationship with God is the most important relationship in this faith, we can't oversee the relationships we build with peers, mentors and mentees. Barnabas was Paul's peer. They were sent out together, commissioned by the Holy Spirit to go spread the word of God. In your walk of faith, you've probably heard words like accountability and community being emphasized again and again. We need to remind ourselves that not only are these things nice to have, but they are actually essential in order for us to maintain our faith. 

Paul had Barnabas, Moses had Aaron and Dr. Hall has Gerald. Who can you say is a Barnabas in your life? Is there someone who you can walk alongside in faith, someone who isn't afraid to challenge you or call you out, or someone that you yourself aren't afraid to call out. If you don't, find one. Find someone who you can call your Barnabas but also understand that this relationship will not be a flawless, perfectly polished one. You will irritate each other, disagree and get into fights, but as long as you both, like Saul and Barnabas, are clear in your intentions of pursuing Christ, all that will only serve to only help you grow in your faith.

Acts 12:20-25

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for 

peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

-Acts 12:20-25

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Throughout this chapter in Acts, we learn about Herod's character. He is an evil, sinful man who executes innocent people and gets in the way of God. In the previous passage, we read that King Herod executed and even put to death people who belonged to the church, God's people. He arrested Peter, one of the apostles, to prevent him from teaching. As you can see even in verse 21, Herod is a selfish person who gets what he wants and only cares about his own glory from the people.

As we read about this unfair treatment, we know that none of these innocent believers deserve to live under Herod's rule. Peter definitely didn't deserve to almost be killed. We want justice for our people.

However, it is said many times in the bible that we Christians should never take revenge. We need to let God take revenge for us and let Him do his thing. God is a jealous God and if there is anyone getting in His way, He will come in with His almighty power. God does not forget about the wrongdoings of His people and He will punish them and let them face the consequences because He is fair.

God remembered Herod's actions and brought His judgment on Him. This is a reminder to be humble and don't take pride like Herod. The glory all goes to God and no one else. This world is full of injustice and oppression, but don't forget that God will eventually bring His judgement on the people.